Red and processed meat and pancreatic cancer risk: a meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: The relationship between red and processed meat consumption and pancreatic cancer risk is controversial and no study has looked specifically at the correlation for 6 years. We conducted a meta-analysis to summarize the evidence about the association between them. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library for studies of red or processed meat consumption and pancreatic cancer published from December 2016 to July 2022. We performed random-effects models to pool the relative risks from individual studies. Subgroup analyses were used to figure out heterogeneity. We also performed publication bias analysis. Results: Seven cohort studies and one case–control study that contained a total of 7,158 pancreatic cancer cases from 805,177 participants were eligible for inclusion. The combined RRs (95% CI) comparing highest and lowest categories were 1.07 (95% CI: 0.91–1.26; p = 0.064) for red meat and 1.04 (95% CI: 0.81–1.33; p = 0.006) for processed meat with statistically significant heterogeneity. Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggested that red and processed meat consumption has no relationship with pancreatic cancer risk.