Journal of epidemiology and community health
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J Epidemiol Community Health · Nov 1999
Association between coffee drinking and K-ras mutations in exocrine pancreatic cancer. PANKRAS II Study Group.
To analyse the relation between coffee consumption and mutations in the K-ras gene in exocrine pancreatic cancer. ⋯ Pancreatic cancer cases without activating mutations in the K-ras gene had drank significantly less coffee than cases with a mutation, with a significant dose response relation: the less they drank, the less likely their tumours were to harbour a mutation. In exocrine pancreatic cancer the K-ras gene may be activated less often among non-regular coffee drinkers than among regular drinkers. Caffeine, other coffee compounds or other factors with which coffee drinking is associated may modulate K-ras activation.