 |
 |
|
Summaries for Patients are a service provided by Annals to help patients better understand the complicated and often mystifying language of modern medicine.
SUMMARIES FOR PATIENTS
Can a Blood Test Help Predict Who Is at Risk for Colorectal Cancer?
15 March 2005 | Volume 142 Issue 6 | Page I-79
Summaries for Patients are presented for informational purposes only. These summaries are not a substitute for advice from your own medical provider. If you have questions about this material, or need medical advice about your own health or situation, please contact your physician. The summaries may be reproduced for not-for-profit educational purposes only. Any other uses must be approved by the American College of Physicians.
The summary below is from the full report titled "C-Reactive Protein Levels Are Not Associated with Increased Risk for Colorectal Cancer in Women." It is in the 15 March 2005 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine (volume 142, pages 425-432). The authors are S.M. Zhang, J.E. Buring, I.-M. Lee, N.R. Cook, and P.M. Ridker.
What is the problem and what is known about it so far?
Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer and of death from cancer in the United States. Risk factors include physical inactivity, a low-fiber diet, and having a family member with this type of cancer. Some data suggest that low-grade inflammation may also increase the risk for colorectal cancer. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a protein in the blood that increases when inflammation is present in the body. If inflammation increases a person's risk for developing colorectal cancer, higher CRP levels might be a sign of that higher risk.
Why did the researchers do this particular study?
To see whether CRP levels in the blood predict a person's risk for developing colorectal cancer.
Who was studied?
27,913 women health professionals 45 years of age or older. None had ever had cancer or heart disease. All were participants in the Women's Health Study, a trial begun in 1993 to see whether aspirin and vitamin E prevent cancer and heart disease.
How was the study done?
The researchers took blood samples for CRP testing at the beginning of the study. They sent questionnaires to participants every year for the next 10 years. The questionnaires asked women about their health and whether they had developed colorectal cancer in the preceding year. The researchers then compared the women's risk for developing colorectal cancer according to whether they had had a low, intermediate, or high CRP level.
What did the researchers find?
Women reported 169 instances of colorectal cancer, which were confirmed by review of medical records. Women with low CRP levels were just as likely as those with higher levels to develop colorectal cancer. CRP levels also did not predict which women had smaller tumors and which had larger tumors or more advanced cancer.
What are the limitations of the study?
The participants were female health professionals. We do not know whether men or patients with chronic conditions would have similar findings. A single baseline CRP measurement may be an imperfect marker of inflammation. Relying on a woman's report of cancer rather than routinely using tests to detect lesions may have missed some cases of cancer.
What are the implications of the study?
Higher CRP levels probably do not predict higher risk for colorectal cancer in healthy women. The finding implies that inflammation may not be a significant risk factor for colorectal cancer. Doctors will need to find ways other than measuring CRP levels to predict who is likely to develop colorectal cancer.
Related articles in Annals:
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  J. Lin, I-M. Lee, N. R Cook, J. Selhub, J. E Manson, J. E Buring, and S. M Zhang Plasma folate, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, and risk of breast cancer in women Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, March 1, 2008; 87(3): 734 - 743. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. Kim, T. O. Keku, C. Martin, J. Galanko, J. T. Woosley, J. C. Schroeder, J. A. Satia, S. Halabi, and R. S. Sandler Circulating Levels of Inflammatory Cytokines and Risk of Colorectal Adenomas Cancer Res., January 1, 2008; 68(1): 323 - 328. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. Lin, J. E. Manson, J. Selhub, J. E. Buring, and S. M. Zhang Plasma Cysteinylglycine Levels and Breast Cancer Risk in Women Cancer Res., December 1, 2007; 67(23): 11123 - 11127. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K. L. Margolis, R. J. Rodabough, C. A. Thomson, A. M. Lopez, A. McTiernan, and for the Women's Health Initiative Research Group Prospective Study of Leukocyte Count as a Predictor of Incident Breast, Colorectal, Endometrial, and Lung Cancer and Mortality in Postmenopausal Women Arch Intern Med, September 24, 2007; 167(17): 1837 - 1844. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K. Heikkila, S. Ebrahim, and D. A Lawlor A systematic review of the association between circulating concentrations of C reactive protein and cancer J Epidemiol Community Health, September 1, 2007; 61(9): 824 - 833. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. M. Zhang, J. Lin, N. R. Cook, I-M. Lee, J. E. Manson, J. E. Buring, and P. M. Ridker C-Reactive Protein and Risk of Breast Cancer J Natl Cancer Inst, June 6, 2007; 99(11): 890 - 894. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
N. A. Shadick, N. R. Cook, E. W. Karlson, P. M Ridker, N. E. Maher, J. E. Manson, J. E. Buring, and I.-M. Lee C-Reactive Protein in the Prediction of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Women Arch Intern Med, December 11, 2006; 166(22): 2490 - 2494. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. Siemes, L. E. Visser, J.-W. W. Coebergh, T. A.W. Splinter, J. C.M. Witteman, A. G. Uitterlinden, A. Hofman, H. A.P. Pols, and B. H.Ch. Stricker C-Reactive Protein Levels, Variation in the C-Reactive Protein Gene, and Cancer Risk: The Rotterdam Study J. Clin. Oncol., November 20, 2006; 24(33): 5216 - 5222. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P. Libby and P. M. Ridker Inflammation and Atherothrombosis: From Population Biology and Bench Research to Clinical Practice J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., October 27, 2006; 48(9_Suppl_A): A33 - A46. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 D. Mazhar and S. Ngan C-reactive protein and colorectal cancer. QJM, August 1, 2006; 99(8): 555 - 559. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. Otani, M. Iwasaki, S. Sasazuki, M. Inoue, S. Tsugane, and Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study Plasma C-reactive protein and risk of colorectal cancer in a nested case-control study: Japan public health center-based prospective study. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., April 1, 2006; 15(4): 690 - 695. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. J. Gunter, R. Stolzenberg-Solomon, A. J. Cross, M. F. Leitzmann, S. Weinstein, R. J. Wood, J. Virtamo, P. R. Taylor, D. Albanes, and R. Sinha A Prospective Study of Serum C-Reactive Protein and Colorectal Cancer Risk in Men Cancer Res., February 15, 2006; 66(4): 2483 - 2487. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. Trichopoulos, T. Psaltopoulou, P. Orfanos, A. Trichopoulou, and P. Boffetta Plasma C-reactive protein and risk of cancer: a prospective study from Greece. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., February 1, 2006; 15(2): 381 - 384. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. Shankar, J. J. Wang, E. Rochtchina, M. C. Yu, R. Kefford, and P. Mitchell Association Between Circulating White Blood Cell Count and Cancer Mortality: A Population-Based Cohort Study Arch Intern Med, January 23, 2006; 166(2): 188 - 194. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 L. Mascitelli and F. Pezzetta C-Reactive Protein and Risk for Colorectal Cancer Ann Intern Med, October 4, 2005; 143(7): 544 - 544. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. Il'yasova, L. H. Colbert, T. B. Harris, A. B. Newman, D. C. Bauer, S. Satterfield, and S. B. Kritchevsky Circulating Levels of Inflammatory Markers and Cancer Risk in the Health Aging and Body Composition Cohort Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., October 1, 2005; 14(10): 2413 - 2418. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C-Reactive Protein Is Not Associated with Colorectal Cancer in Women Journal Watch Gastroenterology, March 29, 2005; 2005(329): 3 - 3. [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. Tonks What's new in the other general journals BMJ, March 26, 2005; 330(7493): 693 - 694. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
Read all Rapid Responses
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Article
