Colorectal Cancer and its Association with the Metabolic Syndrome: a Malaysian Multi-Centric Case-Control Study

Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) are both on the rise in Malaysia.A multi-centric case-control study was conducted from December 2009 to January 2011 to determine anyrelationship between the two.
Methods: Patients with confirmed CRC based on colonoscopy findings and cancerfree controls from five local hospitals were assessed for MetS according to the International Diabetes Federation(IDF) definition. Each index case was matched for age, gender and ethnicity with two controls (140: 280).
Results:MetS among cases was highly prevalent (70.7%), especially among women (68.7%). MetS as an entity increasedCRC risk by almost three fold independently (OR=2.61, 95%CI=1.53-4.47). In men MetS increased the riskof CRC by two fold (OR=2.01, 95%CI, 1.43-4.56), demonstrating an increasing trend in risk with the numberof Mets components observed.
Conclusion: This study provides evidence fora positive association between themetabolic syndrome and colorectal cancer. A prospective study on the Malaysian population is a high priorityto confirm these findings.