Impact of alcohol consumption on risk of colorectal cancer in Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim: To carry out a thorough analysis of the existing literature on the possible association between alcohol consumption and colorectal cancer (CRC) in the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) region. Material and methods: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were all searched separately by three researchers. The Newcastle–Ottawa (NCO) checklist was used to assess the quality of the included research. The heterogeneity of the analysis was evaluated using the Cochrane test and I2 statistics. Meta-regression analysis was used to determine the impact of study sample sizes and the Human Development Index (HDI) on the pooled effect. Results: Eleven articles were compatible with our inclusion criteria and were selected to be in the final analysis. Our meta-analysis revealed a significant positive association between alcohol consumption and the risk of CRC (OR = 1.51; 95% CI 1.03-2.22; P= 0.03). The results of the meta-regression analysis indicated no significant effect of the studies’ sample size, and countries’ HDI on the total effect (P= 0.85, and P= 0.07, respectively). Conclusion: People who consume alcohol at high or low levels and may be at risk of CRC may want to be alerted if there is a positive correlation between both conditions in the EMRO region. A reduction in CRC mortality rates and an increase in survival rates among residents of the EMRO region may be achieved through early diagnosis, proper screening techniques, and cutting-edge treatment procedures.