Association between alcohol consumption and colorectal carcinogenesis: an ecological study in Korea

The sharp rise in the incidence rate of colorectal cancer (CRC) in Korea over the past decades may be partly attributed to increase in alcohol consumption. An ecological study was conducted in Korea to determine the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of colorectal cancer. We obtained the CRC incidence rates for the years 1999?2007 from the Korean Central Cancer Registry and the data on national alcohol consumption for the years 1998, 2001, 2005, and 2007 from the reports of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Pearson's correlation coefficients were determined using data for alcohol intake and CRC incidence rate. People who consumed more than 45 g alcohol/day were defined as heavy drinkers. A significant correlation between alcohol consumption and the CRC incidence rate was observed in men; Pearson's correlation coefficients were statistically significant for men (r = 0.99; P = 0.001), but not for women (r = 0.82; P = 0.180). In the <50-year age group, the age-specific incidence rate for men was comparable to that for women, but in the ≥ 50-year age group, it increased rapidly in men. The increase in alcohol consumption appears to be attributable to increase in the number of heavy drinkers among men aged 25-59 years, particularly among men aged 45-49 years. Our findings may aid in predicting future CRC incidence in Korea.