Table 6.
Alcohol-related characteristics according to the genetic risk group of HNSCC
| Low genetic risk group (0th–24th) | Intermediate genetic risk group (25th–49th) | High genetic risk group (50th–74th) | Very high genetic risk group (75th–99th) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 76,502) | (n = 77,180) | (n = 77,142) | (n = 77,668) | ||
| Status | |||||
| Alcohol drinker status (UKBB field: 20117), No. (%) | .001 | ||||
| Never | 2501 (3.3%) | 2455 (3.2%) | 2525 (3.3%) | 2468 (3.2%) | |
| Previous | 2677 (3.5%) | 2770 (3.6%) | 2888 (3.7%) | 3023 (3.9%) | |
| Current | 71,245 (93.2%) | 71,879 (93.2%) | 71,652 (93.0%) | 72,077 (92.9%) | |
| Alcohol intake frequency (UKBB field: 1558), No. (%) | .045 | ||||
| Daily or almost daily | 14,927 (19.5%) | 15,235 (19.7%) | 15,082 (19.6%) | 15,158 (19.5%) | |
| Three or four times a week | 17,599 (23.0%) | 17,756 (23.0%) | 17,756 (23.0%) | 18,049 (23.2%) | |
| Once or twice a week | 20,490 (26.8%) | 20,416 (26.5%) | 20,451 (26.5%) | 20,856 (26.9%) | |
| One to three times a month | 8867 (11.6%) | 9087 (11.8%) | 8949 (11.6%) | 8775 (11.3%) | |
| Special occasions only | 8989 (11.8%) | 8997 (11.7%) | 9007 (11.7%) | 8894 (11.5%) | |
| Never | 5617 (7.3%) | 5677 (7.4%) | 5886 (7.6%) | 5927 (7.6%) | |
| Amount | |||||
| Amount of alcohol drunk on a typical drinking day (UKBB field: 20403), No. (%) | < .001 | ||||
| 1 or 2 | 12,035 (53.5%) | 11,304 (51.9%) | 11,374 (52.3%) | 10,423 (49.6%) | |
| 3 or 4 | 6031 (26.8%) | 5958 (27.4%) | 5797 (26.6%) | 5823 (27.7%) | |
| 5 or 6 | 2530 (11.2%) | 2544 (11.7%) | 2554 (11.7%) | 2596 (12.4%) | |
| 7, 8 or 9 | 1322 (5.9%) | 1319 (6.1%) | 1387 (6.4%) | 1542 (7.3%) | |
| 10 or more | 572 (2.5%) | 650 (3.0%) | 645 (3.0%) | 622 (3.0%) | |
| Frequency of consuming six or more units of alcohol (UKBB field: 20416), No. (%) | < .001 | ||||
| Never | 11,933 (52.9%) | 11,265 (51.6%) | 11,200 (51.3%) | 10,463 (49.7%) | |
| Less than monthly | 5409 (24.0%) | 5155 (23.6%) | 5286 (24.2%) | 5014 (23.8%) | |
| Monthly | 1854 (8.2%) | 1870 (8.6%) | 1770 (8.1%) | 1876 (8.9%) | |
| Weekly | 2647 (11.7%) | 2779 (12.7%) | 2772 (12.7%) | 2895 (13.8%) | |
| Daily or almost daily | 702 (3.1%) | 753 (3.5%) | 790 (3.6%) | 800 (3.8%) | |
| Type | |||||
| Alcohol usually taken with meals (UKBB field: 1618), No. (%) | < .001 | ||||
| No | 12,880 (30.9%) | 13,435 (32.5%) | 13,721 (33.4%) | 14,685 (35.8%) | |
| Yes | 28,817 (69.1%) | 27,866 (67.5%) | 27,384 (66.6%) | 26,379 (64.2%) | |
| Other non-alcoholic drinks (UKBB field: 100510), No. (%) | .330 | ||||
| No | 26,030 (78.1%) | 25,290 (78.3%) | 24,752 (78.0%) | 24,012 (78.6%) | |
| Yes | 7284 (21.9%) | 7003 (21.7%) | 6973 (22.0%) | 6540 (21.4%) | |
| History | |||||
| Alcohol intake versus 10 years previously (UKBB field: 1628), No. (%) | < .001 | ||||
| More nowadays | 10,268 (14.5%) | 10,477 (14.7%) | 10,474 (14.7%) | 11,148 (15.6%) | |
| About the same | 26,488 (37.4%) | 26,201 (36.6%) | 25,685 (36.1%) | 24,997 (34.9%) | |
| Less nowadays | 34,083 (48.1%) | 34,822 (48.7%) | 35,084 (49.2%) | 35,518 (49.6%) | |
| More nowadays | 10,268 (14.5%) | 10,477 (14.7%) | 10,474 (14.7%) | 11,148 (15.6%) | |
| Ever physically dependent on alcohol (UKBB field: 20404), No. (%) | .006 | ||||
| No | 369 (74.7%) | 404 (73.1%) | 377 (69.4%) | 373 (65.8%) | |
| Yes | 125 (25.3%) | 149 (26.9%) | 166 (30.6%) | 194 (34.2%) | |
| Ever had known a person concerned about, or recommended reduction of, alcohol consumption (UKBB field: 20405), No. (%) | < .001 | ||||
| No | 22,649 (91.9%) | 21,921 (91.3%) | 21,753 (91.2%) | 20,823 (90.6%) | |
| Yes, but not in the last year | 1046 (4.2%) | 1088 (4.5%) | 1118 (4.7%) | 1184 (5.1%) | |
| Yes, during the last year | 941 (3.8%) | 992 (4.1%) | 987 (4.1%) | 989 (4.3%) | |
Abbreviations: HNSCC head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, UKBB UK Biobank