Frequency and Clinical Correlates of Hypoalbuminemia in Colorectal Cancer Patients at A Tertiary Care Hospital

Colorectal cancer is often associated with hypoalbuminemia, a marker of poor nutritional status and systemic inflammation. Low albumin levels in colorectal cancer patients are linked to worse outcomes, including higher morbidity and mortality. Objectives: To assess the frequency of hypoalbuminemia and its association with clinical and biochemical variables among colorectal cancer patients at Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January 14, 2022, to July 13, 2022, at the Department of Surgery, Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad. 124 patients who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer aged between 20 to 60 years and of either gender were included in the study. Colorectal cancer was confirmed histopathologically. Patients with other gastrointestinal malignancies, chronic liver diseases, nephrotic syndrome, and those on corticosteroid or immune-suppressive therapy were excluded from the study. Results: The study identified the presence of hypoalbuminemia in n=73 (58.9%) of the patients. Among them, 38 (52.1%) were classified as obese (≥30.0), with a p-value of 0.001. The mean duration of the disease was found to be 49.2 ± 7.10 weeks, which also showed a significant correlation (p=0.01). Additionally, elevated C-reactive protein levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rates showed a strong association with hypoalbuminemia (p=0.001). Hypocalcaemia (34.2%) and hypomagnesemia (27.4%), were significantly associated with hypoalbuminemia. Conclusions: It was concluded that hypoalbuminemia is a prevalent and clinically significant condition among colorectal cancer patients. The high prevalence of hypoalbuminemia is strongly associated with obesity, longer disease duration, rural residency, elevated inflammatory markers, and electrolyte imbalances (hypocalcaemia, hypomagnesemia).