Global 
Deutschland Liver and Bile
Hepatology. 2024;79(6):1324–36
Association of tea and coffee consumption and biliary tract cancer risk: The Biliary Tract Cancers Pooling Project
Background and aims: Tea and coffee are widely consumed beverages worldwide. The authors evaluated their association with biliary tract cancer (BTC) incidence.
Approach and results: They pooled data from 15 studies in the Biliary Tract Cancers Pooling Project to evaluate associations between tea and coffee consumption and BTC development. Participants were categorized as non-drinkers (0 cup/day), moderate drinkers (> 0 and < 3 cups/day), and heavy drinkers (≥ 3 cups/day). Multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox models. During 29,911,744 person-years of follow-up, 851 gallbladder cancer (GBC), 588 intrahepatic bile duct cancer (IHBDC), 753 extrahepatic bile duct cancer (EHBDC), and 458 ampulla of Vater cancer (AVC) cases were diagnosed. Individuals who drank tea showed a statistically significantly lower incidence rate of GBC relative to tea non-drinkers (HR = 0.77; 95% CI: 0.64–0.91), and IHBDC had an inverse association (HR = 0.81; 95% CI: 0.66–1.00). However, no associations were observed for EHBDC or AVC. In contrast, coffee consumption was positively associated with GBC, with a higher incidence rate for individuals consuming more coffee (HR < 3 cups/day = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.01–1.66; HR ≥ 3 cups/day = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.11–1.99, ptrend = 0.01) relative to coffee non-drinkers. However, there was no association between coffee consumption and GBC when restricted to coffee drinkers. There was little evidence of associations between coffee consumption and other BTCs.
Conclusions: Tea consumption was associated with a lower incidence of gallbladder cancer (GBC) and possibly intrahepatic bile duct cancer. Further research is warranted to replicate the observed positive association between coffee and GBC.