May Abnormal Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Predict Colorectal Neoplasm?

Background/Aims: Atherosclerosis was reported as a clinical indicator of colorectal neoplasm. However, a direct association between colorectal neoplasm and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), a surrogate marker for atherosclerosis, has not been established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between abnormal carotid IMT and colorectal neoplasm. Methodology: We reviewed the data of 192 consecutive patients who underwent both diagnostic colonoscopy and carotid IMT measurements within 3 months. The prevalence of abnormal carotid IMT was compared between patients with and without colorectal neoplasm. Results: We found that the risk of abnormal IMT was 1.5 times greater in patients with colorectal adenomas and 3.5 times greater in patients with colorectal adenocarcinomas than those without colorectal neoplasms. Although the association between colorectal neoplasm and abnormal carotid IMT did not reach statistical significance, there was a statistical trend for the association between abnormal carotid IMT and colorectal adenocarcinoma by multivariate analyses (p=0.072). Conclusions: We identified a statistical trend for the association between colorectal adenocarcinoma and abnormal carotid IMT. However, further prospective studies with a greater number of participants will be necessary to confirm these findings.