THE ROLE OF DIET IN ETIOLOGY OF COLORECTAL-CANCER

The epidemiologic case-control study included 100 patients with histologically verified colorectal cancer. The groups of cancer patients and controls with non-tumor pathology treated at a therapeutic department of a city clinical hospital were identical with respect to age and sex. A questionnaire was used to study average intake of foods within 12 months prior to disease. Consumption of basic dietary ingredients was calculated. The logistic regression method was employed to assess the relative risk of colonic cancer development for four levels of consumption of each ingredient. The tendency of risk variation was evaluated. The increase in the risk of colonic cancer was accounted for by the high consumption of monounsaturated fatty acids (p = 0.023), starch (p = = 0.05) and a rise in meat/vegetables (p < 0.001), protein/cellulose (p < 0.001) and fat/cellulose (p = 0.023) ratios. High intake of beta-carotene (p = 0.011), vitamin C (p = = 0.003), calcium (p = 0.009) and dairy products (p = 0.003) and increased poly/monounsaturated fatty acid ratio (p = 0.014) were associated with low relative risk.