Distinct oncological severity in CRC patients with obese and L-MAFLD

Background: Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease MAFLD is widely acknowledged as a risk factor for colorectal cancer CRC due to the shared metabolic risk factors, obesity, and insulin resistance. Limited data about the potential effects of lean MAFLD (L-MAFLD) phenotype on clinical outcomes and tumor behavior in individuals with colorectal cancer. Aim of the study:This study aims to compare the histological and tumor characteristics of colorectal cancer patients with obese and L-MAFLD. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 73 CRC patients fulling MAFLD (imaging and metabolic risk factor), stratified into lean (n 12) and obese (n 61) groups. Results: Despite the metabolic aggressiveness of obese MAFLD than Lean counterparts, L-MAFLD patients exhibited more aggressive histological features, including severe hepatic steatosis and infiltrative tumor type (25% vs. 4.9%, p 0.02). obese MAFLD showed more moderate to poor tumor differentiation and lymph node involvement than L-MAFLD (p <0.001, 0.02 respectively)