Identifying potential risk factors associated with gastrointestinal tract cancers:  A case-control study in Turkey

Objective: Gastrointestinal cancers have different risk factors. However, it was clearly thought that the risk factors of these cancers should be determined by a case-control studies. The study aims to determine the potential risk factors associated with gastrointestinal cancers with a case-control study design.
Material and methods: This case-control study was conducted with a total of 620 people applied to Department of General Surgery of two hospital in Turkey. The case group consisted of 310 patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal tract cancers. The control group consisted of 310 subjects without any history of cancer including gastrointestinal cancers. The data were collected with the Patient Identification Form including socio-demographic characteristics, and risk factors for gastrointestinal tract cancers.
Results: The mean age of the case and control groups were 58.9±12.9 and 50.0±10.0, respectively. Although there was statistically significant differences in several factors compared, multivariate analysis identified male gender (OR=1.729, p=0.02), higher age (OR=1.068, p<0.001), low body mass index (OR=1.110, p<0.001), high number of children (OR=1.563, p<0.001), cancer history in the family (OR=4.444, p<0.001) and the presence of other chronic diseases (OR=6.314, p<0.001) as risk factors. Mostly vegetable consumption (OR=2.923, p<0.001) was also found to be a lower risk factor for gastrointestinal cancers.
Conclusion: According to this study; age, gender, body mass index, number of children, family history of cancer, chronic diseases were among risk factors for gastrointestinal tract cancers. Vegetable consumption was an important factor to decrease gastrointestinal cancers.