Key clinical point: Heavy alcohol use strongly contributes to increased early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) risk irrespective of polygenic risk score (PRS) levels. Abstinence from heavy drinking may reduce EOCRC risk to a degree equivalent to having a much lower genetic risk.
Major finding: High (≥25 g/day) vs. low (0.1 to <25 g/day) lifetime average alcohol consumption was strongly associated with increased EOCRC risk (odds ratio 1.8; 95% CI 1.2-2.8). The effect of high lifetime alcohol consumption on EOCRC was equivalent to that of having 47 percentiles higher PRS (genetic risk equivalent 47; 95% CI 12-82).
Study details: This retrospective study included 5104 patients with colorectal cancer and 4131 non-colorectal cancer controls from the large, population-based German DACHS study.
Disclosures: The DACHS study was supported by the German Research Council and German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Chen X et al. Alcohol consumption, polygenic risk score, and early- and late-onset colorectal cancer risk. EClinicalMedicine. 2022;49:101460 (May 20). Doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101460