Alcohol consumption associated with colorectal cancer risk in a community population aged 50-74 years old: A nested case-control study

Abstract

Abstract Objective Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence has been increasing in China and worldwide. Alcohol consumption has been going up in China, too. This study was to investigate whether drinking was associated with CRC risk in a community population aged 50–74. Methods We designed a case-control study nested in a mass CRC screening program from 2020 to 2022. Cases were defined as newly diagnosed CRC confirmed by histopathological examinations and controls were normal people without any colorectal diseases confirmed by colonoscopy. Logistic regressions were used to estimate OR and 95% confidence interval (CI) of drinking between cases and controls. Results Using never drinking in their lifetime as a common reference, the adjusted OR and 95% CI of drinking between cases and controls were 1.45 (0.92, 2.30) in current drinkers, 3.90 (1.47, 10.34) in former drinkers, 1.55 (1.01, 2.38) in drinking 6–7 days/week, and 4.18 (1.41, 12.43) in drinking 1–19 years. When stratifying by gender, all drinking variables in women but not all in men were consistently associated with CRC risk; the adjusted OR and 95% CI were 1.01 (0.59, 1.74) in current drinking men, 2.27 (0.78, 6.64) in former drinking men, and 4.24 (1.61, 11.13) in current drinking women; the adjusted OR and 95% CI of drinking whisky amount were 0.19 (0.04, 0.83), 1.89 (0.86, 4.17), 2.25 (1.05, 4.83), and 1.82 (0.85, 3.92) in men drinking ≤ 10, 11-≤20, 21-≤30, > 30 Liang/week with a Ptrend = 0.011, and 4.03 (1.24, 13.12) and 7.40 (1.88, 29.15) in women drinking 1–4 days/week and 5–7 days/week with a Ptrend < 0.001, respectively. Conclusion Alcohol consumption was associated with increase in CRC risk in a community population aged 50–74. There were gender disparities in drinking and its association with CRC risk. Women tended to be more sensitive to alcohol carcinogenesis in CRC than men did and men’s association of drinking whisky with CRC risk tended to be determined by dosage.