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. 2022 Aug;71(7-8):899-909.
doi: 10.1007/s00011-022-01597-9. Epub 2022 Jun 18.

The combination of metabolic syndrome and inflammation increased the risk of colorectal cancer

Tong Liu #  1   2   3 , Yali Fan #  4 , Qingsong Zhang #  5 , Yiming Wang  6 , Nan Yao  4 , Mengmeng Song  1   2   3 , Qi Zhang  1   2   3 , Liying Cao #  7 , Chunhua Song #  8 , Hanping Shi #  9   10   11
Affiliations

The combination of metabolic syndrome and inflammation increased the risk of colorectal cancer

Tong Liu et al. Inflamm Res. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Inflammation and metabolic syndrome (MetS) may act synergistically and possibly accelerate the initiation and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). We prospectively examined the joint effect of MetS and inflammation on the risk of CRC.

Methods: We studied 92,770 individuals from the Kailuan study. MetS was defined based on the presence of three or more of the following components. (1) high glucose: FPG > 5.6 mmol/L; (2) high blood pressure: SBP ≥ 130 mmHg or DBP ≥ 85 mmHg; (3) high triglycerides: triglycerides > 1.69 mmol/L; (4) low HDL-C: HDL-C < 1.04 mmol/L in men or 1.29 mmol/L in women; and (5) visceral adiposity: waist circumference ≥ 85 cm in men or 80 cm in women. Inflammation was defined as hs-CRP ≥ 3 mg/L. We divided participants into four groups for the primary exposure according to the presence/absence of inflammation and presence/absence of MetS. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the association of MetS and/or inflammation with the risk of CRC.

Results: Compared with metabolically healthy noninflammatory individuals, inflammatory participants without MetS and inflammatory participants with MetS were associated with a 1.3-fold and 4.18-fold increased risk of CRC with corresponding HRs (95% CI) of 1.34 (1.09, 1.64) and 4.18 (3.11, 5.62), respectively. The combination of MetS and inflammation was associated with the highest risk of CRC in all subgroups, especially among participants who were female, in younger age, and obese. Sensitivity analyses further validated our primary findings.

Conclusions: We found the combination of MetS and inflammation could significantly increase the risk of CRC. Including CRP in the diagnosis of MetS may help to identify additional high-risk participants who should be targeted for early diagnosis and prevention of CRC. Trial registration Kailuan study, ChiCTR-TNRC-11001489. Registered 24 August, 2011-Retrospectively registered, http:// www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=8050.

Keywords: Colorectal cancer; Inflammation; Joint-effect; Metabolic syndrome.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

All the authors have declared there was none conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of study participants
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Subgroup analysis of the association of MetS and hs-CRP levels with CRC risk
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Subgroup analysis of the association of MetS or hs-CRP levels with CRC risk
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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