Serum homocysteine may related to colorectal adenoma number: a cross-sectional study

Abstract BackgroundEarly detection of high-risk adenomas is crucial for the prevention of colorectal cancer. The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of serum biomarkers in characterizing the histological features of colon adenomas and predicting the progression of high-risk adenomas to colorectal cancer.MethodsPatients diagnosed with colorectal adenoma in Beijing Shijitan Hospital between Jan 2013 and Dec 2015 were recruited to the study. Patients were classified into low-, moderate-, and high-risk according to the adenoma scores. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), clinical biochemistry, serum homocysteine (HCY) levels, and serum tumor markers were determined. Multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using logistic regression. The correlation between the serum biomarkers and basic characteristic of the adenomas was analyzed.ResultsThe serum levels of HCY (OR=0.06, 95% CI 0.01-1.52), CA724 (OR=0.03, 95% CI 0.00-0.97), and ESR (OR=0.01, 95% CI 0.00-0.44) were positively correlated with the risk of colon adenomas developing into colorectal cancers. High serum level of HCY was related with the development of multiple (>3) adenomas (OR=0.25, 95% CI 0.11-0.56). Higher ESR was related to the occurrence of high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (OR=0.06, 95% CI 0.00-0.73) and villous adenomas (OR=0.20, 95% CI 0.04-0.98).ConclusionSerum levels of HCY, ESR and CA724 may be valuable indicators for predicting the risk of colon adenomas, among them, ESR may be more related to specific pathology types, HCY is more related to the number of adenomas and development of colorectal cancer.