Alcohol consumption and the risk of colon cancer by family history of colorectal cancer.
BACKGROUND
Individuals with a family history of colorectal cancer may be more susceptible to adverse effects of alcohol consumption.


OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether the association between alcohol consumption and colon cancer risk differed by family history of colorectal cancer.


METHODS
We conducted prospective studies in women and men in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, respectively. Alcohol consumption was first assessed in 1980 in women and in 1986 in men.


RESULTS
During a follow-up of 26 y among 87,861 women and 20 y among 47,290 men, we documented 1801 cases of colon cancer (1094 women and 707 men). Higher alcohol consumption was associated with an elevated risk of colon cancer, although the association was significant only for the highest intake category of ≥30 g/d, with no significant linear trend. The association between alcohol consumption and colon cancer risk differed by family history of colorectal cancer; in comparison with nondrinkers, the pooled multivariate RRs for alcohol consumption of ≥30 g/d were 1.23 (95% CI: 0.96, 1.57; NS) among those with no family history and 2.02 (95% CI: 1.30, 3.13) among those with a family history of colorectal cancer (P value test for difference = 0.05). In comparison with nondrinkers with no family history, the RR for colon cancer was 2.80 (95% CI: 2.00, 3.91) for individuals who consumed ≥30 g/d and who had a family history of colorectal cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
Reducing alcohol consumption may decrease the incidence of colon cancer, especially among those with a family history of colorectal cancer.
Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. eunyoung.cho@channing.harvard.edu
Eunyoung
E
Cho
Jung Eun
JE
Lee
Eric B
EB
Rimm
Charles S
CS
Fuchs
Edward L
EL
Giovannucci
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies
D000431:Ethanol