Colorectal Cancer News

Liver Disease and Colorectal Polyps: What's the Relationship?

A recent study has suggested that there may be a link between liver disease and the development of colorectal polyps, which can turn into colorectal cancer if left undetected through routine colonoscopies.

Researchers from Sungkyunkwan University, School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea, noted that metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance are associated with a higher risk of colon cancer. Furthermore, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is regarded as a manifestation of metabolic syndrome in the liver.

The study investigated whether NAFLD has a relationship to colorectal adenomatous polyps. It included 2,917 participants who underwent a routine colonoscopy at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in 2007. The patients were divided into the adenomatous polyp group (556 patients) and the normal group (2,361 patients).

The study found that the prevalence of NAFLD was 41.5 percent in the adenomatous polyp group and 30.2 percentin the control group. Additionally, NAFLD was found to be associated with an increased risk of colorectal adenomatous polyps and an increased risk for NAFLD was more evident in patients with a greater number of adenomatous polyps.

The study authors concluded that NAFLD was associated with colorectal adenomatous polyps. They noted that further studies are needed to confirm whether NAFLD is a predictor for the development of colorectal adenomatous polyps and cancer.

For more information on colorectal polyps, please visit the CCA's colorectal cancer overview.

References:

• Hwang ST, Cho YK, Park JH, et al. Relationship of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease to colorectal adenomatous polyps. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2010 Jan 13.
• Colon Cancer Alliance. www.ccalliance.org. Copyright® 2010

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