Alcohol Intake, Alcohol Metabolizing Enzymes Gene Polymorphisms and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer

According to the statistic reports from World Health Organization (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the incidence and mortality rate of colorectal cancer ranked third and fourth respectively among ten most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide; moreover, based on the statistics from Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taiwan, the incidence and mortality rate of colorectal cancer ranked second and third respectively among call cancer in Taiwanese population. However, if colorectal cancer is diagnosed and treated in early phase, the 5-year survival rate for stage I colorectal cancer can be up to 90%; on the other hand, the 5-year survival rate for end stage colorectal cancer is only approximately 10%. Therefore, the screening, early diagnosis od colorectal cancer is crucial. To date, there are some known risk factors for colorectal cancer, including familial adenomatous polyposis, obesity, physical inactivity, etc. Alcohol had also been identified as an important risk factor for colorectal cancer, and the risk could be higher among Asian population because of the reduced enzymatic activity of some of the alcohol metabolizing enzymes. Thus, through this study, the investigators hope to find out the risk factors of colorectal cancer among Taiwanese population, including alcohol metabolizing enzyme gene polymorphisms and their interaction with environmental factors, to attain the purpose of early prevention of colorectal cancer.