Risk Factors for Advanced Colorectal Adenomas
A Pooled Analysis
- Mary Beth Terry1,
- Alfred I. Neugut,
- Roberd M. Bostick,
- Robert S. Sandler,
- Robert W. Haile,
- Judith S. Jacobson,
- Cecilia M. Fenoglio-Preiser and
- John D. Potter
- Department of Epidemiology, Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health [M. B. T., A. I. N., J. S. J.], and Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center [M. B. T., A. I. N., J. S. J.] and Department of Medicine [A. I. N.], College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032; South Carolina Cancer Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29203 [R. M. B.]; Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7080 [R. S. S.]; Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, California 90033 [R. W. H.]; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267-0529 [C. F-P.]; and Cancer Prevention Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109 [J. D. P.]
Abstract
Although most colorectal cancers arise from adenomatous polyps, most adenomas do not progress to invasive cancer. Understanding the epidemiology of advanced adenomas, specifically those with severe dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, or intramucosal carcinoma, is crucial to uncovering why some adenomas progress and some do not. Using data from four colonoscopy-based adenoma case-control studies, we compared two case groups: subjects with advanced adenomas (those with severe dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, or intramucosal carcinoma; n = 119) and subjects with nonadvanced adenomas (those with none, mild, or moderate dysplasia; n = 441) to a polyp-free control group (n = 1866) in regard to frequently studied risk factors for colorectal neoplasia. All of the cases were newly diagnosed and had no prior history of adenomas. We used an unordered polytomous logistic model to calculate multivariate odds ratios for advanced and nonadvanced adenoma cases relative to polyp-free controls. Among women, ever use of hormone replacement therapy was more strongly associated with reduced risk of advanced adenomas relative to polyp-free controls [odds ratio (OR), 0.4; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.2–0.9] than with reduced risk of nonadvanced adenomas (OR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.4–1.0). Among men, increased physical activity (≥2 h/week) was more strongly associated with reduced risk for advanced adenomas (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2–1.0) than with reduced risk for nonadvanced adenomas (OR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.5–1.2). Apart from these differences, most other risk factors, including body size and cigarette smoking were similar in their association with advanced and nonadvanced adenomas, suggesting that many risk factors for colorectal neoplasia may be important to adenoma formation but not to dysplasia per se.
Footnotes
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The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
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↵1 To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Department of Epidemiology, Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032.
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↵2 The abbreviations used are: CIS, carcinoma in situ; CU, Columbia University; UM, University of Minnesota; UNC, University of North Carolina; USC, University of Southern California; WF, Wake Forest University; OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; HRT, hormone replacement therapy.
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- Accepted April 3, 1902.
- Received November 12, 1901.
- Revision received March 22, 1902.
