Table 1.
Characteristics of cancer cases and their matched controls
| Cases (n = 149 360) | Controls (n = 1 194 729) | |
|---|---|---|
| Men | 78 817 (52.8%) | 630 453 (52.8%) |
| Women | 70 543 (47.2%) | 564 276 (47.2%) |
| Age, median (IQR, years) | 65 (56–74) | 65 (56–74) |
| All BZRD | ||
| Never use | 118 067 (79.0%) | 957 778 (80.2%) |
| Ever use | 31 293 (21.0%) | 236 951 (19.8%) |
| Long term use* | 2527 (1.7%) | 17 870 (1.5%) |
| Benzodiazepines† | ||
| Never use | 128 342 (85.9%) | 1 037 132 (86.8%) |
| Ever use | 21 018 (14.1%) | 157 597 (13.2%) |
| Long term use* | 1007 (0.7%) | 6558 (0.5%) |
| Benzodiazepines related drugs† | ||
| Never use | 132 729 (88.9%) | 1 067 910 (89.4%) |
| Ever use | 16 631 (11.1%) | 126 819 (10.6%) |
| Long term use* | 1528 (1.0%) | 11 095 (0.9%) |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) | ||
| CCI score = 0 | 109 383 (73.2%) | 905 997 (75.8%) |
| CCI score = 1 | 25 812 (17.3%) | 188 801 (15.8%) |
| CCI score ≥ 2 | 14 165 (9.5%) | 99 931 (8.4%) |
| Drugs | ||
| Aspirin | 19 542 (13.1%) | 150 964 (12.6%) |
| Non-aspirin NSAIDs | 5234 (3.5%) | 39 957 (3.3%) |
| 5-α-reductase-inhibitors | 776 (0.5%) | 6023 (0.5%) |
| Statins | 10 811 (7.2%) | 83 501 (7.0%) |
| AT-II antagonists | 8637 (5.8%) | 65 468 (5.5%) |
| Contraceptives and hormone supplements | 11 484 (7.7%) | 80 772 (6.8%) |
| Antidepressants | 5148 (3.4%) | 42 763 (3.6%) |
| Antipsychotics | 552 (0.4%) | 4218 (0.4%) |
| Diagnoses | ||
| Inflammatory bowel disease | 1186 (0.8%) | 8525 (0.7%) |
| COPD | 11 069 (7.4%) | 71 952 (6.0%) |
| Diabetes | 10 089 (6.8%) | 73 559 (6.2%) |
| Alcohol abuse | 6197 (4.1%) | 33 665 (2.8%) |
BZRD, benzodiazepine and benzodiazepine related drugs; IQR, interquartile range.
*
Long term use was defined as ≥500 DDD within a period of 5 to 1 year prior to the index date.
†
Benzodiazepines were defined as the ATC-groups N05BA and N05CD. Benzodiazepines related drugs were defined as the ATC-group N05CF.