Introduction: There is epidemiological evidence indicating that the metabolic syndrome increases the riskof colorectal cancer. Since there is little information about this issue in Iran, the present study was conducted toevaluate prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components in patients with colorectal cancer. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional survey involved 200 patients with a new diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Demographicinformation of patients was collected through the interview with them. Components of metabolic syndromeincluding fasting glucose serum, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein, blood pressure and waist circumferencewere measured for all of the patients. Results: A total of 72 colorectal cancer patients (36%) met metabolicsyndrome criteria with rates of 76% for women and 24% for men. BMI in metabolic syndrome patients washigher than other colorectal cancer patients. Disease history including hypertension, diabetes and cardiovasculardisease was most frequent in metabolic syndrome patients. Pathological characteristics of colorectal cancerwere not significantly associated with the disease. Conclusion: The findings of present study indicated that theprevalence of metabolic syndrome in CRC patients is relatively high. Therefore, further analytical and multicentric studies are needed to better understand the role of metabolic syndrome in development of CRC in Iran.If this association is confirmed in future studies, metabolic syndrome patients should be considered in CRCscreening programs.
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