Correlation of Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Fatty Liver Disease With Colorectal Adenoma and Early Colorectal Cancer / 胃肠病学

ABSTRACT

Background: The terminology of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was changed to metabolic dysfunction ⁃ associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) in 2020. NAFLD has been confirmed to be a risk factor for colorectal neoplasms, but the association between MAFLD and colorectal neoplasms is conflicting. Aims: To investigate the correlation of MAFLD with colorectal adenoma and early colorectal cancer. Methods: The clinical information of 701 patients who met the criteria and were admitted to Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from January 2021 to August 2021 was collected retrospectively. Among them, 274 colorectal adenoma patients with low ⁃ grade intraepithelial neoplasia or without intraepithelial neoplasia were classified as adenoma group, 21 patients with high ⁃ grade intraepithelial neoplasia, intramucosal carcinoma, and submucosal carcinoma were classified as early cancer group, and 406 patients with normal colonoscopy or non⁃adenomatous polyps were served as control group. The general information and prevalence of MAFLD between these groups were compared. Furthermore, the correlation of MAFLD with colorectal adenoma and early colorectal cancer, and the gender difference of these correlations were analyzed by Logistic regression models. Subgroup analysis was performed based on the clinicopathological characteristics of colorectal adenoma. Results: When adjusting the confounding variables including gender, age, smoking, alcohol drinking, diabetes, hypertension, and serum creatinine, MAFLD was significantly associated with the prevalence of colorectal adenoma (OR=1.83, 95% CI 1.04 ⁃ 3.22, P=0.037) and early colorectal cancer (OR=3.91, 95% CI 1.14⁃13.42, P=0.031). When stratified as gender, the significant association remained in females (OR=4.04, 95% CI 1.56 ⁃ 10.47, P=0.004), but not in males. In addition, no correlation was found between MAFLD and the location, size, number, and advanced histology of colorectal adenoma (all P>0.05). Conclusions: MAFLD is an independent risk factor for colorectal adenoma and early colorectal cancer. MAFLD is specifically associated with increased risk of colorectal adenoma in females but not in males.