Dietary habits of colorectal neoplasia patients in comparison to their first-degree relatives

AIM:To compare the dietary habits between colorectal neoplasia patients,their first-degree relatives,and unrelated controls.METHODS:From July 2008 to April 2011,we collected epidemiological data relevant to colorectal cancer from patients with colorectal neoplasias,their first-degree relatives,and also from a control group consisting of people referred for colonoscopy with a negative family history of colorectal cancer and without evidence of neoplasia after colonoscopic examination.The first-degree relatives were divided into two groups following the colonoscopic examination:(1)patients with neoplasia or(2)patients without neoplasia.Dietary habits of all groups were compared.Aχ2 test was used to assess the association between two dichotomous categorical variables.RESULTS:The study groups consisted of 242 patients with colorectal neoplasias(143 men,99 women;mean age:64±12 years)and 160 first-degree relatives(66men,94 women;mean age:48±11 years).Fifty-five of the first-degree relatives were found to have a neoplastic lesion upon colonoscopy,while the remaining105 were without neoplasia.The control group contained 123 individuals with a negative family history for neoplastic lesions(66 men,57 women;mean age:54±12 years).Two hypotheses were tested.In the first,the dietary habits of first-degree relatives with neoplasia were more similar to those of patients with neoplasia,while the dietary habits of first-degree relatives without neoplasia were similar to those of the control group.In the second,no sex-related differences in dietary habits were expected between the particular groups.Indeed,no significant differences were observed in the dietary habits between the groups of patients,controls and first-degree relatives with/without neoplastic lesions.Nevertheless,statistically significant sex-related differences were observed in all groups,wherein women had healthier dietary habits than men.CONCLUSION:In all groups examined,women had healthier dietary habits than men.Modification of screening guidelines according to sex may improve the efficiency of screening programs.