TOPLINE:
Higher levels of alcohol consumption appear to increase an individual’s risk of early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC), particularly distal colon and rectal cancers, according to a population-based study from South Korea.
METHODOLOGY:
- The investigators retrospectively compared average daily alcohol consumption with early-onset CRC risk among nearly 5.7 million adults younger than 50 years, using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service.
- Alcohol consumption levels were defined as nondrinker, light (< 10 g/day or < 0.7 U.S. drinks/day), moderate (10-30 g/day for men, 10-20 g/day for women), and heavy (≥ 30 g/day or ≥ 2.1 drinks/day for men, ≥ 20 g/day or ≥ 1.4 drinks/day for women).
- The primary outcome was incidence of early-onset CRC diagnosed before age 50. Models were adjusted for age, sex, smoking status, exercise, and income, as well as for comorbidities.
TAKEAWAY:
- Overall, 8,314 incident early-onset CRC cases occurred during the mean follow-up period of 7.4 years.
- Compared with light drinking, moderate and heavy drinking were associated with a significantly elevated risk of early-onset CRC (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.09 and 1.20, respectively); by sex, significant associations were found only among men.
- Among men, heavy drinking vs. light drinking was associated with a 26% increased risk of distal colon cancer, a 17% higher risk of rectal cancer, and a 29% higher risk of unspecified colon cancer (but not proximal colon cancer).
- Among women, moderate drinking was associated with a 47% increased risk of distal colon cancer. Among nondrinkers, there was a 14% reduced risk of rectal cancer, compared with light drinkers.
IN PRACTICE:
“This population-based study provides evidence that higher levels of alcohol consumption may increase the risk of early-onset CRC,” the investigators concluded. “[E]ffective interventions are required to discourage alcohol consumption among young people and to tailor CRC screening approaches for high-risk individuals.”
SOURCE:
The study was led by researchers at Seoul National University, South Korea. It was published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
LIMITATIONS:
Study limitations include self-reported alcohol consumption. Data were missing for a higher number of male participants and younger participants, and there was a potential problem related to multiple comparisons and confounders. Only Korean individuals were included in the study, so larger studies involving various races are needed.
DISCLOSURES:
Funding was provided by grants from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea. No potential conflicts of interest were reported.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.