Alcohol consumption is associated with the risk of developing colorectal neoplasia: Propensity score matching analysis

Although alcohol intake is known to be associated with the development of colorectal cancer, the effect of alcohol consumption on the development of colorectal neoplasm (CRN) is unclear. We performed a retrospective cohort analysis with 1 to 1 propensity score matching in a single center of Korea. Among 1,448 patients who underwent index and surveillance colonoscopy, 210 matched pairs were analyzed. The 5-year cumulative occurrence of overall CRN after index colonoscopy was higher in the significant alcohol consumption group (defined as alcohol consumption more than 30 g/day in men and 20 g/day in women) (vs. without significant alcohol consumption group) (40% vs. 27.6%, p = 0.004). Significant alcohol consumption increased the development of overall CRN (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.86, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.28–2.70, p = 0.001) at surveillance colonoscopy. However, this effect was not valid on the development of advanced CRN. In subgroup analysis considering the risk classification of index colonoscopy, significant alcohol consumption increased the overall CRN development at surveillance colonoscopy in the normal group (patients with no detected adenoma in the index colonoscopy) (aHR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.16–3.13, p = 0.01). Alcohol consumption habits should be considered in optimizing time intervals of surveillance colonoscopy.