Inverse relations between infection and risk of esophageal precancerous lesions in drinkers and peanut consumption.

Background: () is a Gram-negative bacterium found in the upper digestive tract. Although infection is an identified risk factor for gastric cancer, its role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains a topic of much debate.

Aim: To evaluate the association between infection and the risk of precancerous lesions of ESCC, and further explore the association between dietary factors and the risk of infection.

Methods: Two hundred patients with esophageal precancerous lesions (EPL) aged 63.01 ± 6.08 years and 200 healthy controls aged 62.85 ± 6.03 years were included in this case-control study. Epidemiological data and qualitative food frequency data were investigated. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay measuring serum immunoglobulin G antibodies was used to determine seropositivity. An unconditional logistic regression model was used to assess the association between infection and EPL risk dichotomized by gender, age, and the use of tobacco and alcohol, as well as the association between dietary factors and the risk of infection.

Results: A total of 47 (23.5%) EPL cases and 58 (29.0%) healthy controls had positive infection. An inverse relation between infection and the risk of EPL was found in the group of drinkers after adjustment for covariates [odds ratio (OR) = 0.32, 95% confidence interval (95%CI): 0.11-0.95]. Additionally, peanut intake was significantly associated with a decreased risk of infection (OR = 0.39, 95%CI: 0.20-0.74).

Conclusion: Our study suggested that infection may decrease the risk of EPL for drinkers in a rural adult Chinese population, and the consumption of peanut may reduce the risk of infection. These findings should be framed as preliminary evidence, and further studies are required to address whether the mechanisms are related to the localization of lesions and alcohol consumption.