Work

A Prospective Evaluation of C-reactive Protein Levels and Colorectal Adenoma Development

Year: 2011

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Inflammation is hypothesized to play a role in colorectal tumorigenesis. Circulating levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a serologic marker of the inflammatory response, have been positively associated with colorectal cancer development in some studies; however, there are limited data on the relation of CRP with colorectal adenomas, established precursors of colorectal cancer. METHODS: A nested case-control investigation of CRP levels and incident colorectal adenoma was conducted in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, a randomized trial of 154,942 individuals designed to test the efficacy of flexible sigmoidoscopy on colorectal cancer mortality when performed once, and then repeated 3 to 5 years later. Serum CRP levels were measured in baseline blood specimens from participants who were free of polyps in the left-sided colorectum at the baseline screening procedure, but who were found at the subsequent screen to have at least one colorectal adenoma (n=356), and in a set of polyp-free, frequency-matched controls (n=396). RESULTS: In a multivariable logistic regression model that included established colorectal adenoma risk factors, a 1-unit increase in log CRP level was associated with a 15% reduction in risk of developing colorectal adenoma (OR=0.85, 95% CI, 0.75-0.98, Ptrend=0.01). This association did not differ according to body size, smoking behavior, gender, use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, or adenoma location. CONCLUSIONS: High circulating CRP levels may be protective against colorectal adenoma development. IMPACT: Though at contrast with mechanistic data on inflammation and colorectal tumorigenesis, this finding is not inconsistent with prior results on CRP and colorectal adenoma and warrants further investigation.

Source: Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention

DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-10-1099