A CASE-CONTROL STUDY OF COLORECTAL-CANCER AND ITS RELATION TO DIET, CIGARETTES, AND ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION IN SAITAMA PREFECTURE, JAPAN

A case-control study of colorectal cancer in relation to dietary, smok ing, and drinking habits was undertaken in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. The study was based on 181 newly diagnosed cases of adenocarcinoma of the colorectum at a single institution and 653 general population cont rols. Dietary habits were investigated on the basis of the intake of 1 2 foods and 12 food groups in a food intake frequency questionnaire, t ogether with individual food preferences. Preference for salty foods w as positively related to the risk of both colon and rectal cancer, and the consumption of seaweed was inversely related to these cancers, bo th with a dose-response relation. Cigarette smoking was inversely rela ted to colon cancer risk, but not to rectal cancer risk. Alcohol intak e tended to be associated inversely with colon cancer, but not with re ctal cancer. In the multiple logistic regression, preference for salty foods (positively) and the consumption of seaweed (inversely) were in dependently related to both colon and rectal cancer risks.