2 Saxfield Drive, Baguley Hall, Manchester M23 1PY, UK
Professor Seitz is perfectly correct to draw attention to a possible link between colorectal cancer and alcohol consumption. There is indeed some evidence of a connection and publication of his letter will clarify this.
My problem with this connection was in finding evidence that it was either confined to consumers with a dependent alcoholism or predominantly so. I was also unable to find evidence to support a genetic link between alcoholism and colorectal cancer similar to the link between oesophageal cancer and alcoholism, though I accept that a different attribution is possible. To further muddy the water, I can say that the alcoholic doctor with colonic cancer was an avid spirit drinker and eschewed beer.