BACKGROUND: Rio Grande do Sul, a State in southern Brazil, shows high mortality rates for esophageal cancer. Important geographical variations suggest external factors in the etiology. OBJECTIVE: The relationship between smoking, alcohol and "maté" to esophageal cancer. METHOD: 55 patients with esophageal cancer were interviewed, soon after the endoscopy, about risk factors; 110 patients who did not showed esophageal tumor in the endoscopy were the controls. RESULTS: among the patients with esophageal cancer there were more farmer-workers (OD 3.3; 95% CI 0.9-11.2), father with antecedent cancer (OD 6.9; 95% CI 1.9-25.6), smoking and ex-smoking (OD 2.5; 95 % CI 1.1-5.9), drinkers and ex- of alcohol (OD 5.3; 95% CI 2.6-11.0), drinkers and ex- of "maté" (OD 3.6; 95 % CI 1.3-9.8). Others variables more frequent in the cases were: smoking for > 20 years; kind of alcohol (spirits), drinking alcohol every day, drinking "maté" every day and adding salt to food. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking, alcohol, "maté", farmer-workers and antecedent of father with cancer were significantly more frequent in the cases of esophageal cancer than in the controls.
Esophaged cancer; Risk Factors; Epidemiology
