The Consumption of Red and Processed Meat and The Risk of Colorectal Cancer: A Case-Control Study among the Tunisian Population.

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is at present the third most common malignancy in the world. With changes in lifestyle its incidence and mortality have increased during last decades.

Aim: To explore the association between red meat, processed meat and risk of colorectal cancer.

Methods: We performed a case-control study, conducted from February to March 2019 at Salah Azaiez institute. One hundred and two subjects were enrolled.

Results: The case group included 52.9% males and 47.1% females. The control group enrolled 49%males and 51% females. The median age was 56 years old in the two groups. 63% of patients were stage I-III disease and 37% have a metastatic disease. The mean Body mass index was 24,76 Kg/m2 in CRC group was 27,39Kg/m2 in controls. CRC cases were more likely than controls to have a family history of CRC and a lower education level. There was a significant difference between cases and controls for socio-economic level and geographic origin. Ninety point two percent of cases and 76.5% of controls consume red meats, no significant association was observed between moderate red meat intake and colorectal cancer risk (p 0,063). However, a high total day meat consumption (> 100 g) was significantly associated with a high risk of CRC compared to low consumption ( <50 g) ( p=0.023). In contrast no significant association was observed when comparing all cooking methods of meet. 51% of cases and 23,5% of controls intake processed meats. Processed meat was positively associated with CRC (p 0,004).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that higher consumptions of red meat, the consumption of industrially processed meat increased the risk of CRC.