Table 5.
Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals of colorectal cancer across quintiles of total neopterin concentrations in sensitivity analyses excluding colorectal cancer case patients in the first years of study follow-up, The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Study (1992–2003)
| Study follow-up years excluded from the analysis | Quintiles of total neopterin concentrations (median, nmol/L) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (12.7) | 2 (16.1) | 3 (19.6) | 4 (22.8) | 5 (30.7) | |
| Two years* | |||||
| No. of case patients/control participants | 153/166 | 76/166 | 88/165 | 110/166 | 169/166 |
| MV-adjusted RR (95% CI)† | 1.98 (1.32 to 2.96) | 1.00 (referent) | 1.20 (0.81 to 1.78) | 1.42 (0.94 to 2.14) | 2.08 (1.42 to 3.06) |
| Three years* | |||||
| No. of case patients/control participants | 121/166 | 57/166 | 76/165 | 89/165 | 127/164 |
| MV-adjusted RR (95% CI)† | 2.15 (1.34 to 3.42) | 1.00 (referent) | 1.29 (0.84 to 2.00) | 1.58 (0.99 to 2.52) | 1.95 (1.26 to 3.01) |
| Four years* | |||||
| No. of case patients/control participants | 91/164 | 44/164 | 59/164 | 69/165 | 81/164 |
| MV-adjusted RR (95% CI)† | 1.95 (1.11 to 3.40) | 1.00 (referent) | 1.12 (0.68 to 1.83) | 1.34 (0.78 to 2.30) | 1.40 (0.83 to 2.37) |
* Excluded from the analysis were 114 case patients diagnosed in the first two years of study follow-up; 360 case patients diagnosed in the first three years of study follow-up, and 486 case patients diagnosed in the first four years of study follow-up. CI = confidence interval; MV = multivariable-adjusted; RR = relative risk.
† The MV-adjusted model in conditional logistic regression analysis takes into account matching factors: age, sex, study center, follow-up time since blood collection, time of blood collection, and fasting status), with additional adjustment for smoking status, education, alcohol consumption, physical activity, fiber intake, consumption of fruits and vegetables, consumption of red and processed meat, consumption of fish and shellfish, and waist circumference. Women were further matched by menopausal status and phase of the menstrual cycle at blood collection; postmenopausal women were matched by use of hormone replacement therapy.