Colorectal cancer risk, chronic illnesses, operations and medications: case-control results from the Melbourne Colorectal Cancer Study (Reprinted from Cancer Research, vol 48, pg 4399-404, 1988)

Abstract

The associations between colorectal cancer risk and several chronic illnesses, operations and various medications were examined in 715 colorectal cancer cases and 727 age- and sex-matched controls in data derived from a large, comprehensive population-based study of this cancer conducted in Melbourne, Australia. There was a statistically significant deficit among cases of hypertension, heart disease, stroke, chronic chest disease and chronic arthritis and a statistically significant excess of 'haemorrhoids' among cases, and all of these differences were consistent for both colon and rectal cancers and for both males and females. Although no statistically significant differences were found fo..