NEW YORK (Reuters Health), Aug 22 - Men with high C-reactive protein (CRP) levels may have a higher risk of colon cancer, a new report from the EPIC study suggests.
The results support the theory "that chronic low-grade inflammation is associated with a higher risk of colon carcinogenesis," lead author Dr. Krasimira Aleksandrova, from the German Institute of Human Nutrition, told Reuters Health. Also, she said, the study gives "the first evidence that inflammation may be an independent risk factor for colon cancer."
Dr. Aleksandrova and her colleagues had earlier found, in the same EPIC cohort, that higher levels of vitamin D protected both men and women from colon and rectal cancers. "Our aim is to get a full picture of the factors that may influence the risk of colorectal cancer," Dr. Aleksandrova said.
This time Dr. Aleksandrova and her colleagues compared 1,096 men and women who developed colorectal cancer (696 colon, 400 rectum) with an equal number who did not.
They reported online July 15 in the American Journal of Epidemiology that serum CRP concentrations above 3.0 mg/L predicted a 1.36-fold greater risk of developing colon cancer than levels below 1.0 mg/L (P = 0.01) -- but the association existed only in men (relative risk 1.74, P = 0.01), not in women.
In neither gender was CRP linked with rectal cancer risk.
Dr. Aleksandrova suggested that perhaps elevated CRP is associated with a higher risk of colon cancer but not rectal cancer because the colon may be more susceptible to inflammation.
The association between CRP and increased colon cancer risk was independent of obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, body mass index, waist circumference, smoking status, alcohol, and red meat intake.
"Preventing chronic inflammation could potentially reduce the risk of getting colon cancer, especially in men," said Dr. Aleksandrova. "However, before clinical implications are discussed, future studies need to establish if CRP can be used as a marker to predict colon cancer risk and what CRP cut-off points indicate what degree of risk."
By Victoria Stern
Source: http://link.reuters.com/zez36n
Am J Epidemiol 2010.
Last Updated: 2010-08-20 17:01:27 -0400 (Reuters Health)
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