Alcohol consumption and rectal tumor mutations and epigenetic changes.
OBJECTIVE
An association between alcohol and rectal cancer has been reported in the epidemiological literature. In this study we further explore the association by examining specific tumor markers with alcohol consumption as well as types of alcoholic beverages consumed.


METHODS
We assessed alcohol consumption with CpG Island Methylator Phenotype, TP53, and KRAS2 mutations in incident rectal cancer cases and compared them with population-based controls. We evaluated type, long-term, and recent alcohol consumption.


RESULTS
We observed a trend toward increasing risk of CpG Island Methylator Phenotype positive tumors and long-term alcohol consumption. In contrast, after adjusting for total alcohol intake, recent high beer consumption significantly increased the odds of having a TP53 mutation compared with those who did not drink beer (odds ratio, 1.97; 95% CI 1.24, 3.12). We observed a nonstatistically significant reduced risk of a TP53 mutation among those who drank wine (in particular, red wine) vs nonconsumers of wine. The association between TP53 mutations and recent beer consumption was strongest for transversion mutations.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that both alcohol and specific constituents of alcoholic beverages contribute to rectal cancer risk among unique disease pathways.
Slattery
Martha L
ML
Department of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108, USA. marty.slattery@hsc.utah.edu
Wolff
Roger K
RK
Herrick
Jennifer S
JS
Curtin
Karen
K
Caan
Bette J
BJ
Samowitz
Wade
W
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D001706:Biopsy; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D018899:CpG Islands / Q000235:genetics; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D011379:Prognosis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics*; D014589:Utah / Q000453:epidemiology; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; C117307:KRAS protein, human; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; C495901:TP53 protein, human; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D018631:ras Proteins