The Association between Tea Consumption and Nasopharyngeal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Heated debates have been on-going about tea consumption and the incidence of cancer, especially in head and
neck cancer types. This study aimed to review the association between tea consumption habits and nasopharyngeal
cancer (NPC). Methods: This review was carried out in accordance with the PRISMA-P protocol. Literature search
for journal articles that published studies on the relationship between tea consumption and NPC was performed via
databases, such as Elsevier, PubMed, Science Direct, Springer Link, Google, and Google Scholar, for 10 years from
2008 to 2018. Relevant studies were obtained by applying the pre-determined keywords, such as nasopharyngeal cancer,
tea consumption and NPC, risk factors of NPC and benefits of tea consumption. Results: A total of 126 articles was
retrieved. These articles were subjected to eligibility assessment. Six articles remained after applying the inclusion
criteria. Results suggest that habitual tea consumption reduces NPC. Tea consumption significantly reduces NPC with
all the studies having a p-value ≤0.05. Meta-analysis showed statistical association between tea consumption and NPC
risk with OR=0.865 at 95% CI (0.806-0.929). Conclusion: This study suggests that habitual tea consumption could
be associated with prevention of NPC development. Additional studies are needed to further understand the molecular
role of bioactive compound and potential health benefit of tea consumption in NPC prevention.