Alcohol consumption and oesophageal squamous cell cancer risk in east Africa: findings from the large multicentre ESCCAPE case-control study in Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi

Summary Background The contribution of alcohol to the large burden of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in east Africa remains uncertain and difficult to assess owing to complex consumption patterns of traditional and commercial drinks. We aimed to assess whether alcohol drinking, overall and at specific intake levels, contributes to ESCC risk in east Africa. Methods We did a hospital-based case-control study in Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi, which included comprehensive assessment of a variety of locally consumed alcohol that we used to classify drinkers as exclusively low alcohol-by-volume (ABV