Table 2.

Post-diagnostic marine ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and colorectal cancer-specific and all-cause mortality

	<0.10 g/day	0.10–0.19 g/day	0.20–0.29 g/day	≥0.30 g/day	P for trend *
Median intake (interquartile range)	0.06 (0.04–0.08)	0.14 (0.12–0.16)	0.24 (0.22–0.27)	0.49 (0.36–0.80)
Person-years	3,782	3,094	2,401	4,294
Colorectal cancer-specific mortality
No. of deaths (n=169)	55	47	25	42
Age-adjusted HR (95% CI) †	1 (referent)	0.99 (0.65–1.50)	0.74 (0.44–1.24)	0.65 (0.42–1.03)	0.04
Multivariable-adjusted HR (95% CI) ‡	1 (referent)	0.98 (0.62–1.55)	0.77 (0.44–1.37)	0.59 (0.35–1.01)	0.03
All-cause mortality
No. of deaths (n=561)	164	135	85	177
Age-adjusted HR (95% CI) †	1 (referent)	1.09 (0.86–1.39)	0.93 (0.71–1.23)	0.96 (0.77–1.21)	0.51
Multivariable-adjusted HR (95% CI) ‡	1 (referent)	1.12 (0.87–1.45)	0.90 (0.67–1.21)	0.95 (0.73–1.25)	0.47

Abbreviation: CI, confidence interval; HR, hazard ratio.

^*P for trend was calculated using median intake for each category of marine ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake.

^†Cox proportional hazards regression model stratified by age groups at diagnosis (<60, 60–64, 65–69, 70–74, and ≥75 years), sex, and cancer stage (I, II, III, IV, and unspecified), with additional adjustment for age at diagnosis (continuous).

^‡Further adjusted for pre-diagnostic intake of marine ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (<0.10, 0.10–0.19, 0.20–0.29, and ≥0.3 g/day), grade of differentiation (1–3 and unspecified), subsite (proximal colon, distal colon, rectum and unspecified), pack-years of smoking (0, 1–15, 16–25, 26–45, >45), alcohol consumption (<0.15, 0.15–1.9, 2.0–7.4, ≥7.5 g/d), BMI (<23, 23–24.9, 25–27.4, 27.5–29.9, ≥30 kg/m²), physical activity (women: <5, 5–11.4, 11.5–21.9, ≥22 MET-hours/week; men: <7, 7–14.9, 15–24.9, ≥25 MET-hours/week), regular use of aspirin and NSAIDs (yes or no), postmenopausal hormone use (women only: never, current, past users), and intake of folate and vitamin D (in quartiles)