We examined the relation of stressful life events to the risk of color
ectal cancer in a population-based case-control study conducted in Sto
ckholm from 1986 to 1988. Completed questionnaires were available for
569 incident cases ascertained through hospital records and the region
al cancer registry. Controls were randomly selected from a population
register and were frequency matched to the age and sex distribution of
the cases; 510 controls completed the study questionnaire. A history
of serious work-related problems in the prior 10 years was strongly as
sociated with the occurrence of colorectal cancer. Compared with those
with no such problems, the age- and sex-adjusted odds ratio (OR) was
5.5 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.3-23.51. Change of residence was
also associated with increased risk: relative to those who had not mo
ved, the OR was 2.8 (95% CI = 1.1-7.1). Similar analyses revealed that
increased odds of colorectal cancer were associated with death of a s
pouse: OR = 1.5 (95% CI = 1.0-2.3). After multivariate adjustment for
dietary risk factors and physical activity, these ORs were not substan
tially altered. Because most of the events were relatively uncommon in
this population, the estimates of effect were not precise.