Study of insulin resistance in colorectal carcinoma

Abstract EN

Introduction and aim of the work : Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth most commonly diagnosed malignant disease.

Epidemiologic studies had suggested an etiologic role for insulin resistance based on the relation of colorectal cancer to diet, obesity and aging.

We aimed at studying that hypothesis by measuring insulin resistance in the form of HOMA-IR in patients with diagnosed CRC.

Subjects and Methods : 20 patients who had underwent surgical resection and were found to have CRC were included in the study.

Those who were diabetic and those who received chemo- or radio- therapy were excluded.

20 age and gender matched control subjects were also studied.

Routine physical examination, laboratory assessment and review of pathology of the tumor was performed for all subjects.

Fasting blood sample was taken in which glucose and insulin were measured and used to calculate HOMA-IR : FPI x FBG (mmol) / 22.5.

Results : healthy control subjects and CRC patients were well matched regards age and gender.

Biochemical profile did not show differences between the two groups.

CRC cases had FBG 91.6 ± 9.4 mg / dl, FPI 8.3 ± 7.2 μU / ml and HOMA-IR 1.9 ± 1.6, while controls had FBG 89.2 ± 6.1 mg / dl, FPI 7.7 ± 3.2 μU / ml and HOMA-IR 1.7 ± 0.8.

The differences between the 2 groups were insignificant, although the cases had a tendency for higher values than controls, in all three parameters.

Conclusion : our results do not support the epidemiologic studies implicating insulin resistance as a cause of CRC.

However, our study is limited by the number studied and the fact that the patients were studied post operative, which may have modified the results of insulin resistance.

Prospective studies of insulin resistance are needed on larger numbers to investigate that important and interesting relation of CRC and insulin resistance.