Metabolic factors associated with colorectal neoplasms: a single center retrospective cross-sectional analysis of colonoscopy patients

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Colorectal neoplasms, including precursor lesions of CRC, are influenced by genetic and metabolic risk factors. However, many previous studies lacked detailed clinical information, such as laboratory data, abdominal ultrasonography, and computed tomography findings. This study aimed to examine the association between metabolic factors and colorectal neoplasms using detailed clinical and imaging data in a retrospective cross-sectional study. Data from 1,916 patients who underwent colonoscopy between 2001 and 2021 were retrospectively evaluated. The primary outcome measure was the incidence of endoscopically diagnosed and pathologically confirmed colorectal neoplasms. Colorectal neoplasms include adenomas, sessile serrated lesions, and adenocarcinomas. The clinical factors associated with these neoplasms were also determined. The odds ratios (ORs) adjusted for age and sex were calculated. Data from 781 patients with neoplasms and 54 patients with adenocarcinomas were analyzed. Male sex, age, waist circumference, laboratory data, including albumin, creatinine, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and HbA1c, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score, and abdominal ultrasound sonography findings of fatty liver were significantly associated with the incidence of any neoplasm. A multivariate analysis showed that male sex (aOR:1.54), age > 60 years (aOR:1.29), waist circumference > 85 cm (aOR:1.28), and fatty liver (aOR:1.31) were significantly associated with a higher odds of developing neoplasms. Male sex, old age, wide waist circumference, fatty liver, and high serum levels of several metabolic indicators are the risk factors for colorectal neoplasms. Colonoscopy is recommended for elderly men, particularly those with these metabolic factors.