Is visceral obesity associated with colorectal cancer? The first volumetric study using all CT slices

Özet

PURPOSEWe aimed to examine the possible relationship between abdominal adiposity parameters andthe presence of colorectal cancer (CRC) and between these adiposity parameters and varioushistopathologic findings of the tumor.METHODSA total of 60 control subjects and 111 CRC patients, 63 with early-stage and 48 with advanced-stage disease, were enrolled. Medical data and abdominopelvic computed tomography(CT) examinations of each study group were retrospectively reviewed. Abdominal adiposity parameters, including visceral adipose tissue (VAT) volume, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) volume, and total adipose tissue (TAT) volume, were calculated on all slices of the CT examinationswith specialized software, and results for each study group were compared. Adiposity parameters were also compared with tumor histopathologic findings.RESULTSWe found lower VAT and higher SAT volumes in advanced-stage CRC patients, compared withthe early-stage group. However, this relationship was not statistically significant (P = 0.721 forVAT and P = 0.432 for SAT volumes). We detected significantly lower VAT and SAT volumes inthe early-stage CRC group compared with the control group (P = 0.014 for both). There was nosignificant relationship between TAT volumes and the study groups (P = 0.06). No statisticallysignificant relationship was detected between adipose tissue parameters and histopathologicfeatures of the CRC group (P > 0.05).CONCLUSIONWe found statistically significant lower VAT and SAT volumes in patients with early-stage CRCcompared with the control group. Volumetric adipose tissue measurements may be more accurate than area measurements and can easily be performed on abdominopelvic CT examination,which is the routine imaging modality for CRC patients.