Colorectal Cancer :: Elevated C-Reactive Protein Levels with Synchronous and Advanced Colorectal Adenoma

Inflammation has been implicated in numerous diseases through recent research. High levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) ? a protein found in the blood that can be used to detect or grade inflammation ? are often associated with cardiovascular disease and cancers, such as colorectal cancer.

Little is known, however, about CRP levels and non-cancerous colorectal tumors (adenomas) that precede colorectal cancer.

Researchers from National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan, examined levels of CRP in both men and women, finding that elevated levels may be associated with increased risk of colorectal adenoma, but only in men.

Study authors conducted a cross-sectional study of plasma CRP levels in 6,695 Chinese patients. All patients underwent a complete total colonoscopy and thorough health check-up. Results were adjusted for age, gender, history of colon polyp, diabetes, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, physical activity, alcohol intake, smoking, white blood cell counts and abdominal obesity.

Results demonstrated that plasma CRP levels were significantly higher in patients in whom colorectal tumors were forming when compared to patients without tumor development. The presence of tumors forming at the same time, known as synchronous neoplasia, and advanced tumor development were associated with elevated levels of plasma CRP. However, while researchers found that high CRP levels are associated with the risk of colorectal tumor formation in male patients, the study did not find a corresponding association with female patients.

“These findings support the crucial role of chronic inflammation in the development of colorectal cancer,” said Han-Mo Chiu, M.D., of the National Taiwan University Hospital, and senior author of this study. “These data warrant further investigations that will continue to evaluate C-reactive protein levels as an indicator of colorectal cancer and examine the gender differences found in our study.”


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