Coffee Intake of Colorectal Cancer Patients and Prognosis According to Histopathologic Lymphocytic Reaction and T-Cell Infiltrates

Abstract

Given previous biological evidence of immunomodulatory effects of coffee, we hypothesized that the association between coffee intake of colorectal cancer patients and survival differs by immune responses. Using a molecular pathological epidemiology database of 4,465 incident colorectal cancer cases, including 1,262 cases with molecular data, in the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, we examined the association between coffee intake of colorectal cancer patients and survival in strata of levels of histopathologic lymphocytic reaction and T-cell infiltrates in tumor tissue. We did not observe a significant association of coffee intake with colorectal cancer-specific mortality [multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for one cup increase of coffee intake per day, 0.93; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.84-1.03]. Although statistical significance was not reached at the stringent level (α=0.005), the association of coffee intake with colorectal cancer-specific mortality differed by Crohn's-like lymphoid reaction (Pinteraction=.007). Coffee intake was associated with lower colorectal cancer-specific mortality in patients with high Crohn's-like reaction (multivariable HR for one cup increase of coffee intake per day, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.37–0.81; Ptrend=.002), but not in patients with intermediate Crohn's-like reaction (the corresponding HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.72–1.44) or negative/low Crohn's-like reaction (the corresponding HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.83–1.07). The associations of coffee intake with colorectal cancer-specific mortality did not significantly differ by levels of other lymphocytic reaction or any T-cell subset (Pinteraction>.18). There is suggestive evidence for differential prognostic effects of coffee intake by Crohn’s-like lymphoid reaction in colorectal cancer.