| Abstract: | The role of alcohol consumption in the etiology of colorectal cancer has been investigated in a case-control study conducted from 1985 to 1990 in the northern part of Italy, on 889 cases of colon cancer, 581 cases of rectal cancer, and 2,475 controls admitted to hospital for acute, non-neoplastic, nodigestive disordes. After allowance for age, education, study center, body mass index, and approximate total energy intake, no significant associations between alcohol intake and the risk of cancer of the colon or rectum were found (odds ratios OR] for  42 drinks/week cf none =1.0 (95 percent confidence interval CI]=0.8–1.4) and 0.7 (CI=0.5–1.0) for cancer of the colon and rectum, respectively). A significant increase in the risk of colon cancer with increasing alcohol consumption was, however, observed in females (OR for 28 drinks/week cf none = 1.8 (CI=1.1–3.0)). While the results of the present case-control study do not suggest that alcohol plays a role in the etiology of colon or rectum cancer overall, they provide a hint for a weak association between alcohol consumption and colon cancer among females which, because of the similarities with breast cancer, should be evaluated in the context of the possible relationship between colon cancer, alcohol intake, and female hormones.Drs Barra, Franceschi, and Guarneri, are with the Epidemiology Unit, Aviano Cancer Center Aviano, Italy. Dr Franceschi is also with the European Cancer Prevention Organisation (ECP), Epidemiology and Cancer Working Group, Brussels, Belgium. Drs Negri and La Vecchia are with the  Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, Milan, Italy. Dr La Vecchia is also with the Institute of Social and Preventive Medecine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. Address correspondence to Dr Barra, Epidemiology Unit, Aviano Cancer Center, Via Pedemontana Occ., 33081 Aviano (PN) Italy. Support for this project was contributed by the Italian Association for Research on Cancer and the Italian League against Tumors, Milan and the Italian National Research Council (CNR Applied Project Clinical Applications of Oncological Research). |
