Table 1. Description of cases and matched controls, by anatomical site.
| Characteristics | Colon Cancer | Rectal Cancer | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cases | Matched Controls | Cases | Matched Controls | |
| Men, n | 297 | 297 | 213 | 213 |
| Women, n | 362 | 362 | 183 | 183 |
| Total | 659 | 659 | 396 | 396 |
| Age, years, mean (SD) | ||||
| At recruitment | 58.8 (7.2) | 58.8 (7.2) | 58.1 (6.8) | 57.7 (6.6) |
| At blood collection | 59.0 (7.2) | 58.9 (7.2) | 58.1 (6.8) | 57.8 (6.5) |
| Body mass index, kg/m2, mean (SD) | 26.8 (4.5) | 26.3 (3.9) | 26.6 (4.0) | 26.4 (3.8) |
| Waist circumference, cm, mean (SD) | 90.4 (13.3) | 88.0 (12.1) | 90.4 (12.9) | 89.8 (12.9) |
| Smoking status/duration/intensity, n (%) | ||||
| Never-smokers | 276 (41.9) | 291 (44.2) | 155 (39.1) | 156 (39.4) |
| Ex-smokers, duration of smoking <10 years | 40 (6.1) | 43 (6.5) | 21 (5.3) | 29 (7.3) |
| Ex-smokers, duration of smoking ≥10 years | 160 (24.3) | 165 (25.0) | 103 (26.0) | 93 (23.5) |
| Ex-smokers, missing duration of smoking | 15 (2.3) | 12 (1.8) | 4 (1.0) | 8 (2.0) |
| Smokers, <15 cigarettes a day | 110 (16.7) | 96 (14.6) | 79 (19.9) | 65 (16.4) |
| Smokers, ≥15 to <25 cigarettes a day | 41 (6.2) | 39 (5.9) | 24 (6.1) | 34 (8.6) |
| Smokers, ≥25 cigarettes a day | 9 (1.4) | 6 (0.9) | 7 (1.8) | 5 (1.3) |
| Missing smoking status | 8 (1.2) | 7 (1.1) | 3 (0.8) | 6 (1.5) |
| Physical activity, n (%) | ||||
| Inactive | 104 (15.8) | 76 (11.5) | 57 (14.4) | 58 (14.6) |
| Moderately inactive | 201 (30.5) | 206 (31.3) | 115 (29.0) | 99 (25.0) |
| Moderately active | 288 (43.7) | 293 (44.5) | 176 (44.4) | 169 (42.7) |
| Active | 62 (9.4) | 78 (11.8) | 48 (12.1) | 61 (15.4) |
| Missing/unspecified | 4 (0.6) | 6 (0.9) | 0 | 9 (2.3) |
| Education level, n (%) | ||||
| None/primary | 256 (38.8) | 288 (43.7) | 147 (37.1) | 163 (41.2) |
| Technical/professional | 151 (22.9) | 161 (24.4) | 108 (27.3) | 110 (27.8) |
| Secondary | 113 (17.1) | 83 (12.6) | 54 (13.6) | 41 (10.3) |
| University or higher | 117 (17.7) | 109 (16.5) | 75 (18.9) | 75 (18.9) |
| Missing/unspecified | 22 (3.3) | 18 (2.7) | 12 (3.0) | 7 (1.8) |
| Diabetes status, % | ||||
| Self-reported diabetes at recruitment, n (%) | 29 (5.3) | 29 (5.3) | 24 (6.9) | 16 (4.6) |
| Subjects HbA1c ≥ 6.5%, n (%) | 54 (10.0) | 25 (6.1) | 36 (11.1) | 22 (8.6) |
| Self-reported diabetes or HbA1c ≥ 6.5%, n (%) | 65 (10.2) | 42 (6.9) | 45 (11.7) | 30 (8.0) |
| Dietary variables (g/day, median (IQR)) | ||||
| Total energy, kcal/day | 2070 (1690-2490) | 2060 (1730-2450) | 2150 (1730-2560) | 2110 (1720-2560) |
| Total fat intake, | 77 (60-96) | 77 (61-96) | 79 (60-104) | 80 (63-103) |
| Fibre intake | 22 (17-27) | 23 (18-27) | 22 (18-28) | 23 (18-28) |
| Fruit and vegetable intake | 369 (246-524) | 418 (263-566) | 356 (244-504) | 364 (250-524) |
| Red meat intake | 48 (25-77) | 48 (26-76) | 56 (34-84) | 54 (31-82) |
| Processed meat intake | 25 (13-41) | 23 (12-42) | 27 (14-47) | 26 (13-47) |
| Alcohol intake | 9 (1-23) | 8 (1-21) | 12 (2-31) | 11 (2-25) |
| Hs-CRP, mg/l, median (IQR) | 3.1 (1.3-5.7) | 2.2 (1.1-4.7) | 2.3 (1.0-4.4) | 2.3 (1.0-4.2) |
| Cholesterol, mmol/L, median (IQR) | 6.3 (5.5-7.1) | 6.4 (5.6-7.2) | 6.4 (5.6-7.1) | 6.5 (5.8-7.3) |
| HDL, mmol/L, median (IQR) | 1.4 (1.1-1.7) | 1.4 (1.2-1.8) | 1.4 (1.2-1.7) | 1.4 (1.2-1.7) |
| LDL, mmol/L, median (IQR) | 4.2 (3.5-4.8) | 4.2 (3.5-4.9) | 4.2 (3.4-4.8) | 4.3 (3.6-5.0) |
| Glycer-AGEs, U/mL, median (IQR) | 6.8 (5.3-8.3) | 7.0 (5.5-8.7) | 7.2 (5.8-9.1) | 7.1 (5.4-8.6) |
NOTE: Cases and controls were matched on age (within 2.5 years), gender, administrative centre, hormone therapy and menopausal status (among women), fasting status, and date of blood collection (within 45 days)
Abbreviation: SD = standard deviation; IQR = inter-quartile range; hs-CRP = high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; HDL = high-density lipoprotein; LDL = low-density lipoprotein; Glycer-AGEs = glyceraldehyde-derived advanced glycation end-products