Table 1.
Background characteristics of adenoma cases, “hospital” controls, and healthy controls
| Adenoma cases (n=87) | “Hospital” controls* (n=35) | p Value† | Healthy controls* (n=35) | p Value‡ | |
| Age (y)§ | 66 | 64 | 0.7 | 66 | 0.9 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 24.8 | 25.6 | 0.2 | 25.4 | 0.2 |
| FHCRC (%) | 16 | 14 | 0.8 | 17 | 0.9 |
| FHOC (%) | 43 | 31 | 0.3 | 34 | 0.4 |
| Alcohol intake (g/day) | 5 | 5 | 0.7 | 5 | 0.6 |
| Never smokers (%) | 23 | 43 | 43 | ||
| Ex-smokers (%) | 33 | 43 | 37 | ||
| Current smokers (%) | 44 | 14 | 0.006 | 20 | 0.03 |
| Type of intervention (%)¶ | |||||
| Active | 45 | — | — | ||
| Placebo | 55 | — | — |
Values are medians or percentage of study group.
*Both sets of controls were sex (50% men) and age matched (±5 years) to cases and proven to be free of polyps by colonoscopy.
†Adenoma cases versus “hospital” controls; ‡adenoma cases versus healthy controls.
§Range at inclusion: 50–76 years.
¶The active medication consisted of vitamin C (150 mg), α-tocopherol (75 mg), β-carotene (15 mg), selenium (101 μg), and calcium (1.6 g), and the placebo medication consisted of lactose.27 The controls did not participate in the intervention study.
FHCRC, familial history of colorectal cancer in first degree relatives; FHOC, familial history of other cancers in first degree relatives.