Tumoral FOXP3 expression is associated with favorable clinicopathological variables and good prognosis in gastric adenocarcinoma: the tumor suppressor function of tumoral FOXP3 is related with the P21 expression in gastric adenocarcinoma.

The function and contribution of tumoral FOXP3 in gastric cancer development remain poorly understood. Thus, we studied the expression of tumoral FOXP3 and its relationship with the well-known tumor suppressor proteins P21 and P53 in gastric adenocarcinoma. The tissue microarray was constructed from 182 cases of gastric adenocarcinoma. The immunohistochemistry was performed on 4-µm tissue sections from each tissue microarray block. We found that positive tumoral FOXP3 expression was significantly correlated with a lower T category, a lower N category, a lower recurrence rate, and less lymphatic invasion. Furthermore, the survival analysis revealed that the tumoral FOXP3-positive group had significantly increased overall survival and disease-free survival rates compared with the tumoral FOXP3-negative group. Additionally, P21 expression showed a significant positive correlation with tumoral FOXP3 expression in gastric adenocarcinoma cells. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that tumoral FOXP3 expression is associated with favorable clinicopathological variables and good prognosis in gastric adenocarcinoma through increased expression of the tumor suppression protein P21.

Predictor of abnormal gallbladder ejection fraction in patients with atypical biliary pain: Histopathological point of view.

Cholescintigraphy has traditionally been used as a tool to select patients with biliary pain for elective cholecystectomy. However, atypical biliary pain presents a clinical challenge and there is no literature evaluating the factors of the gallbladder (GB) wall related to abnormal ejection fraction of cholescintigraphy in such patients. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate characteristics of the GB wall in patients with abnormal gallbladder ejection fraction (GBEF) on cholescintigraphy and atypical biliary pain. Patients who underwent cholescintigraphy for atypical biliary pain and subsequent cholecystectomy were initially recruited for this study. Medical records and pathologic findings of these patients were retrospectively reviewed. Parameters that were significant on univariate analysis, including factors of GB wall and cholescintigraphy, were subsequently tested by multivariate analysis to identify independent predictors for abnormal GBEF. Abnormal or low GBEF was defined as GBEF <35%. A total of 41 adult patients were divided into a low GBEF (n = 15) and a high GBEF group (n = 26) based on the cutoff value of 35%. In univariate analysis mean muscle thickness, muscle to total layer ratio, and muscle to fibrosis layer ratio were significantly higher in the low GBEF group than in the high GBEF group. In multivariate analysis, the muscle to fibrosis layer ratio was found to be an independent risk factor for abnormal GBEF (odds ratio = 3.514, 95% confidence interval = 1.058-11.673, P = .04). The fibrosis to total layer ratio was negatively correlated with GBEF in the low GBEF group (r = -0.657, P < .01). Muscle to fibrosis layer ratio was significantly associated with decreased GBEF. The fibrosis thickness ratio also seems to play an important role in patients with decreased GBEF.

Cerebral venous thrombosis in a patient with Crohn's disease.

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have an elevated risk of venous thromboembolism compared with the general population. The most common sites of venous thromboembolism in IBD patients are the deep veins of the legs, the pulmonary system, and portal and mesenteric veins. However, cerebral venous thrombosis is rarely associated with IBD. This report describes a case of cerebral venous thrombosis in a patient with Crohn's disease. A 17-year-old girl, diagnosed 4 years earlier with Crohn's disease, presented with headache and vomiting. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain with venography showed venous thrombosis in the cortical veins, superior sagittal sinus, right transverse sinus, and right internal jugular vein. The patient immediately started anticoagulation therapy with intravenous heparin infusion followed by daily oral rivaroxaban 10 mg. Follow-up imaging after 2 weeks showed resolution of the thrombosis, with recanalization of the cortical veins, superior sagittal sinus, right transverse sinus, and right internal jugular vein. She continued rivaroxaban therapy for 6 months, and remained well, without neurologic sequelae. A high level of concern for cerebral venous thrombosis may be important when treating active IBD patients, because anticoagulation treatment can prevent fatal complications.

High DBC1 (CCAR2) expression in gallbladder carcinoma is associated with favorable clinicopathological factors.

There have been several studies on gallbladder carcinogenesis, and mutations of the KRAS, TP53, and CDKN2A genes have been reported in gallbladder carcinoma. The DBC1 gene (deleted in breast cancer 1) was initially cloned from region 8p21, which was homozygously deleted in breast cancer. DBC1 has been implicated in cancer cell proliferation and death. The functional role of DBC1 in normal cells and the role of DBC1 loss in cancer are not entirely clear. And DBC1 expression and its clinical implications in gallbladder carcinoma have yet to be thoroughly elucidated. Therefore, we evaluated DBC1 expression in 104 gallbladder carcinoma tissues in relation to survival and other prognostic factors via immunohistochemical analysis. DBC1 expression was divided into two categories: high DBC1 expression was observed in 32/104 cases (30.8%) and low expression in 72/104 cases (69.2%). High DBC1 expression correlated significantly with favorable clinicopathologic variables. Furthermore, in survival analysis, the high-DBC1 expression group showed a better survival rate compared to the low-DBC1 expression group. In conclusion, high DBC1 expression is associated with several favorable clinicopathologic factors in gallbladder carcinoma. These findings suggest that loss of DBC1 expression plays a role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression in gallbladder carcinoma.

Life-threatening Duodenal Ulcer Bleeding from a Ruptured Gastroduodenal Artery Aneurysm in a Patient with Neurofibromatosis Type 1.

Vasculopathy is rarely reported in neurofibromatosis type 1, but when it occurs it primarily involves the aorta and its main branches. Among vasculopathies, aneurysmal dilatation is the most common form. Although several case reports concerning aneurysms or pseudoaneurysms of visceral arteries in neurofibromatosis type 1 patients have been reported, there are no reports describing gastroduodenal artery aneurysms associated with neurofibromatosis type 1. We experienced a case of life-threatening duodenal ulcer bleeding from a ruptured gastroduodenal artery aneurysm associated with neurofibromatosis type 1. We treated our patient by transarterial embolization after initial endoscopic hemostasis. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of its type. High levels of suspicion and prompt diagnosis are required to select appropriate treatment options for patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 experiencing upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Embolization of the involved arteries should be considered an essential treatment over endoscopic hemostasis alone to achieve complete hemostasis and to prevent rebleeding.

[A Case of Cavernous Lymphangioma of the Small Bowel Mesentery].

Lymphangioma is a benign vascular lesion with characteristics of subepithelial tumor which can proliferate in the lymphatic system. Lymphangioma of the small-bowel mesentery is rare, having been reported in less than 2% of all lymphangiomas. Lymphangioma does not require any specific treatment because it is absolutely a benign tumor. However, surgical exploration is rarely required for cases with disease-related symptoms or complications, or for those misdiagnosed as a malignant lesion. We recently experienced a case of mesenteric cavernous lymphangomas in a 53-year-old female who was misdiagnosed as having a liposarcoma. The final diagnosis was confirmed by a pathologic examination of the specimen that was obtained via laparoscopic exploration. Herein, we report a very rare case of mesenteric cavernous lymphangioma along with a brief review of relevant literature.

A Patient with Duodenal Mucinous Adenocarcinoma Presenting as a Laterally Spreading Tumor.

Primary duodenal carcinoma is rare. Duodenal mucinous adenocarcinoma (DMA) is even rarer, and its associated manifestations and typical endoscopic or imaging findings are not well characterized. Herein, we report a case of primary DMA in an asymptomatic 58-year-old man who visited our hospital for a regular health screening. Upper endoscopy revealed an approximately 4-cm lesion in the second portion of the duodenum, but the mass was not visualized on computed tomography. Biopsies revealed a tubular adenoma that was subsequently resected. Frozen biopsies demonstrated DMA with a background of low-grade tubular adenoma for which we performed Roux-en-Y duodenojejunostomy and jejunojejunostomy. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient with DMA in Korea.

Clinicopathological risk factors of early carcinoma in colorectal neoplasias according to Japanese and Western criteria.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There are discrepancies in the classification of early carcinoma in colorectal neoplasia between Japanese and Western criteria. However, no studies have investigated the clinicopathological risk factors associated with early carcinoma according to these criteria. METHODOLOGY: We compared the clinicopathological risk factors of early carcinoma with those of dysplasia, and used multivariate analysis to elucidate the independent risk factors associated with early carcinoma. Lesions with severe cytologic or architectural changes confined to the mucosa are classified as carcinoma in Japanese criteria and as high grade dysplasia (HGD) in Western criteria. RESULTS: Pathologically, 625 total patients were diagnosed with low grade dysplasia (n=321), HGD (n=244), intramucosal carcinoma (n=35) or submucosal carcinoma (n=25). In multivariate analysis, age, large lesion size, and non-polypoid appearance were associated with carcinoma in Japanese criteria; however, only large lesion size was associated with carcinoma in Western criteria. The clinicopathological characteristics of intramucosal carcinoma were similar to those of submucosal carcinoma rather than HGD. CONCLUSIONS: The clinicopathological characteristics for early carcinoma were not identical between Japanese and Western criteria. Japanese criteria classifying intramucosal carcinoma as carcinoma rather than HGD may be supported by our findings.

Anaphylactic shock caused by ingestion of polyethylene glycol.

Colonoscopy is the current standard method for evaluation of the colon. The diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic safety of colonoscopy depend on the quality of colonic cleansing and preparation. Generally, all these preparations have been demonstrated to be safe for use in healthy individuals without significant comorbid conditions. Based on safety and efficacy concerns, polyethylene glycol (PEG) is most commonly utilized as a bowel preparation solution for colonoscopy. Adverse events in patients receiving PEG are mostly clinically non-significant. However, fatal adverse events rarely have been shown to occur in the few individuals who experience vomiting or aspiration. Anaphylactic shock associated with ingestion of PEG electrolyte solution is an extremely rare fatal complication, and reported mainly in Western countries. Here, we report the first case of anaphylactic shock following the ingestion of PEG solution in Korea.

Predictive Factors for Endoscopic Visibility and Strategies for Pre-endoscopic Prokinetics Use in Patients with Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

BACKGROUND: Although current guideline recommends selective use of pre-endoscopic prokinetics to increase diagnostic yield in upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) patients, no data to guide the use of these drugs are available. AIMS: We aimed to investigate predictive factors for endoscopic visibility and develop simple and useful strategies for pre-endoscopic prokinetics use in UGIB patients. METHODS: A total of 220 consecutive patients who underwent upper endoscopy for suspicious UGIB were enrolled. Patients were randomly allocated to either a training or a validation set at a 2:1 ratio. Significant parameters on univariate analysis were subsequently tested by a classification and regression tree (CART) analysis. RESULTS: Time to endoscopy and nasogastric aspirate findings were independently related to endoscopic visibility. The CART analysis generated algorithms proposed sequential use of time to endoscopy (≤5.2 vs. >5.2 h) and nasogastric aspirate findings (red blood or coffee rounds vs. clear aspirate) for predicting endoscopic visibility. Prediction of unacceptable visibility in the validation set produced sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 75.8, 67.5, 65.8, and 77.1 %, respectively. Accurate prediction for visibility was identified in 52 of 73 patients (71.2 %). CONCLUSIONS: Time to endoscopy and nasogastric aspirate findings were independently related to endoscopic visibility in patients with UGIB. A decision-tree model incorporating these two variables may be useful for selecting UGIB patients who benefit from pre-endoscopic prokinetics use.

Outcome of conservative percutaneous cholecystostomy in high-risk patients with acute cholecystitis and risk factors leading to surgery.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the treatment of choice for acute cholecystitis. However, the morbidity and mortality rates are high in elderly patients or in those with co-morbidities at the time of surgery. Percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) is a safe treatment for acute inflammation of the gall bladder. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of PC for acute cholecystitis and investigate the post-PC factors leading to subsequent LC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-three patients with acute cholecystitis who underwent PC between August 2006 and December 2012 were retrospectively reviewed for clinical course, outcomes, and prognosis. We evaluated patient age, the presence of co-morbidities, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, duration of drainage of the PC tube, performance of LC, conversion rate, hospital stay, recurrence, and 30-day mortality. We compared these characteristics in two study groups: 31 were treated with only conservative PC (group I) and 62 with PC followed by elective LC (group II). RESULTS: Patients in group I were older than those in group II (80.38 ± 10.05 vs. 70.50 ± 11.81 years, p < 0.001). More group I patients had an ASA score of III or IV (deemed high risk for surgery) compared to group II patients (80.6 %, n = 25 vs. 37.0 %, n = 23, p = 0.0012). Age, ASA score, and cerebrovascular accident (CVA) were significantly correlated when analyzing factors used to decide surgery (R (2) = 0.15, p < 0.001; R (2) = 0.21, p < 0.001; R (2) = 0.05, p = 0.05, respectively). Two patients in group I died within 30 days. Six patients (19.3 %) in group I experienced recurrent cholecystitis after PC tube removal. CONCLUSIONS: PC is a safe and effective therapeutic option in high-risk patients with acute cholecystitis, or for preoperative management. The decisive risk factors for surgery after PC were age, ASA score, and CVA.

Association of hyper-LDL cholesterolemia with increased risk of colorectal adenoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Previous studies on the association between dyslipidemia and the presence of colorectal adenoma showed conflicting results, and were limited due to small sample sizes, inconsistent definitions of dyslipidemia, or a lack of data on full lipid profiles. The aim of this study was to determine the association between colorectal adenomas and dyslipidemia according to the definition by the National Cholesterol Education Program- Adult Treatment Panel III. METHODOLOGY: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study in subjects who underwent screening colonoscopy and blood tests for full lipid profiles. Serum dyslipidemia profiles were compared between the adenoma group and the control group, and multivariate analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of the presence of colorectal adenomas. RESULTS: Patients with hyper-LDL cholesterolemia were more frequently included in the adenoma group than the control group (46.7% vs. 32.1%, respectively, p=0.023), and hyper-LDL cholesterolemia (OR = 1.954, 95% CI=0.981-3.893, p=0.057) showed a statistical trend for the positive association with the presence of colorectal adenomas by multivariate analysis. Furthermore, proximal colorectal adenomas were more prevalent in the hyper-LDL cholesterolemia group than in the normal LDL cholesterolemia group (p=0.026). CONCLUSIONS: Hyper-LDL cholesterolemia was associated with the presence of colorectal adenomas, especially in the proximal colon.

Proton pump inhibitor administration delays rebleeding after endoscopic gastric variceal obturation.

AIM: To clarify the efficacy of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) after endoscopic variceal obturation (EVO) with N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on 16 liver cirrhosis patients with gastric variceal bleeding that received EVO with injections of N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate at a single center (Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong) from January 2008 to December 2012. Medical records including patient characteristics and endoscopic findings were reviewed. Treatment results, liver function, serum biochemistry and cirrhosis etiology were compared between patients receiving PPIs and those that did not. Furthermore, the rebleeding interval was compared between patients that received PPI treatment after EVO and those who did not. RESULTS: The patient group included nine males and seven females with a mean age of 61.8 ± 11.7 years. Following the EVO procedure, eight of the 12 patients that received PPIs and three of the four non-PPI patients experienced rebleeding. There were no differences between the groups in serum biochemistry or patient characteristics. The rebleeding rate was not significantly different between the groups, however, patients receiving PPIs had a significantly longer rebleeding interval compared to non-PPI patients (22.2 ± 11.2 mo vs 8.5 ± 5.5 mo; P = 0.008). The duration of PPI use was not related to the rebleeding interval. A total of six patients, who had ulcers at the injection site, exhibited a shorter rebleeding interval (16.8 ± 5.9 mo) than patients without ulcers (19.9 ± 3.2 mo), though this difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: PPI therapy can extend the rebleeding interval, and should therefore be considered after EVO treatment for gastric varices.

Association of gallbladder polyp with the risk of colorectal adenoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gallbladder polyps and colorectal adenomas share many common risk factors; however, their association has never been studied. The aim of this study was to investigate this association in asymptomatic healthy subjects. METHODS: Consecutive asymptomatic subjects who underwent both screening colonoscopy and abdominal ultrasonography at Kyung Hee University Hospital in Gang Dong between July 2010 and April 2011 were prospectively enrolled. The prevalence of colorectal adenoma was compared between subjects with or without gallbladder polyps. Furthermore, a logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent risk factors for colorectal adenoma in these subjects. RESULTS: Of the 581 participants, 55 presented with gallbladder polyps and 526 did not have gallbladder polyps. Participants with gallbladder polyps showed a trend toward a higher prevalence of colorectal adenoma than those without gallbladder polyps (52.7% vs. 39.2%, P=0.051). Although the result was not statistically significant, gallbladder polyps were found to be a possible risk factor for colorectal adenoma (odds ratio=1.796, 95% confidence interval=0.986-3.269, P=0.055), even after adjusting for potential confounding factors. There was no difference observed in colorectal adenoma characteristics between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest a possible association between gallbladder polyps and colorectal adenomas. Future studies with larger cohorts are warranted to further investigate this matter.

Needle-knife fistulotomy with percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy for managing complete bilioenteric anastomosis occlusion.

Untreated benign biliary stricture can lead to serious complications including recurrent cholangitis, biliary cirrhosis, hepatic failure, and death. Benign stricture of a postoperative anastomosis site is also a problematic issue after biliary surgery. Percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy (PTCS) with balloon dilatation is a recently introduced noninvasive therapeutic option for biliary stricture. Guidewire insertion through the stricture site is essential for the success of PTCS treatment. Recently, we treated a difficult case with complete bilioenteric anastomosis stricture that failed to allow passage of the guidewire for balloon dilation. The stricture was treated with artificial bilioenteric fistula using a needle-knife papillotome during the PTCS.

Gastric tuberculosis presenting with a huge abdominal mass.

Tuberculosis of the stomach is extremely rare. We report the case of a 38-year-old woman who presented with epigastric discomfort and a palpable mass that persisted for a period of one month. We also report our findings from the abdominal computed tomographic, upper endoscopic and endoscopic ultrasonographic examinations of the patient. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed the presence of a large mass with an irregularly contoured low attenuation lesion. Upper endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasonography revealed a protruding ulcerative mass with an ill-defined heteroechoic subepithelial lesion originating from the gastric submucosal layer. This was previously misdiagnosed as a gastrointestinal stromal tumour. Endoscopic biopsy specimen was positive on acid-fast bacillus staining, and polymerase chain reaction for Mycobacterium tuberculosis was also positive. Abdominal CT and endoscopy at the patient's three-month follow-up showed near complete resolution of the lesion.

Predictive value of maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) on 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer.

PURPOSE: We investigated the prognostic role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the prediction of progression-free survival (PFS) and chemotherapeutic response in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. METHODS: We enrolled 21 newly diagnosed patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT scanning before palliative gemcitabine-based chemotherapy between 2006 and 2012. Maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of the primary tumor was measured by 18F-FDG PET/CT. Chemotherapeutic response was evaluated according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Survival analysis was performed for time to progression using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine independent prognostic factors. RESULTS: All pancreatic tumors showed detectable FDG uptake (mean SUVmax = 6.8 ± 3.0, range 2-12) The mean SUVmax values among response groups showed no significant difference (P = 0.853) and chemotherapeutic response was not different according to SUVmax level (P = 0.807). PFS was significantly shorter in the high SUVmax (≥6.8) group than in the low SUVmax (<6.8) group (2.9 vs. 6 months, P = 0.012). Multivariate analysis revealed that SUVmax was an independent prognostic factor for predicting PFS (P = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS: Higher SUVmax of primary pancreatic tumor is associated with poor PFS and pretreatment SUVmax is an independent prognostic factor for predicting PFS in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer who received gemcitabine-based palliative chemotherapy. However, pretreatment SUVmax is not associated with chemotherapeutic response.

Use of a low cut-off value for the fecal immunochemical test enables better detection of proximal neoplasia.

BACKGROUND: The advantage of the quantitative fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is the flexibility to set the positivity threshold. However, the diagnostic success of the FIT has not been compared for standard and low cut-off thresholds. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic success of FIT for standard and low cut-off thresholds. METHODS: In 2009 and 2010 a standard cut-off threshold (20 µg Hb/g feces) was used as positivity criterion for the FIT; in 2012 a low cut-off (10 µg Hb/g feces) was used. Diagnostic success was compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Of the total of 14,289 participants, 195 (1.4 %) had positive FIT results. Positivity of the FIT was significantly higher in the low cut-off group than in the standard cut-off group (1.8 vs. 1.0 %, p = 0.000). Although detection of advanced neoplasia lesions was comparable, proximal neoplasia was more frequently detected in the low cut-off group (33.3 vs. 20.9 %, p = 0.016). With the low cut-off threshold, 39 (0.7 %) participants were also classified as having positive results, and 18 (46.2 %) of these had colorectal neoplasias. The number of positive results from the FIT was increased by 54.9 %, and detection of advanced neoplasia was increased by 60 % with the low cut-off threshold compared with the standard cut-off. CONCLUSIONS: A low cut-off threshold for the FIT resulted in better detection of proximal neoplasia in population-based screening. These results indicate the cut-off threshold for positive FIT should be properly chosen and adjusted in colorectal cancer screening.

Prediabetes is associated with a high-risk colorectal adenoma.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with an increased risk of colorectal neoplasia. However, association between prediabetes and colorectal adenoma has not been reported. AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between prediabetes and the presence of colorectal adenomas. METHODS: Consecutive prediabetic subjects who underwent screening colonoscopy were enrolled at Kyung Hee University Hospital in Gangdong, Seoul, Korea, between June 2006 and May 2012. Non-prediabetic subjects were separately pooled from the database of the Center for Health Promotion between January 2012 and May 2012. Prediabetes was defined according to the recommendations of the American Diabetes Association. The prevalence of colorectal adenomas and their characteristics were compared between prediabetic and non-prediabetic groups. RESULTS: The prevalence of colorectal adenoma was higher in prediabetic subjects than in non-prediabetic subjects (39.6 vs. 30.6 %, respectively, p = 0.019). Prediabetic subjects had more multiple and high-risk adenomas than the control group in non-matched analysis (p = 0.000, respectively). In age-matched analysis, the prevalence of multiple and high-risk adenomas were significantly higher in a prediabetic group than those in a control group (44.4 vs. 28.4 %, p = 0.034; 51.9 vs. 34.6 %, p = 0.026, respectively). Furthermore, prediabetes (odds ratio = 2.198; 95 % confidence interval = 1.042-4.637; p = 0.039) was found to be an independent risk factor for a high-risk adenoma by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of multiple and high-risk colorectal adenomas is significantly higher in the prediabetic subjects than those in the control group. Furthermore, prediabetes was found to be an independent risk factor for a high-risk colorectal adenoma.

Osteoporosis is associated with the risk of colorectal adenoma in women.

BACKGROUND: Recently, it was reported that postmenopausal women with lower bone mineral density have an increased risk of colorectal cancer. An association between lower bone mineral density and colorectal cancer suggests that colorectal adenoma, which is a precursor of colorectal cancer, may also be associated with lower bone mineral density. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the association between colorectal adenoma and osteoporosis. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study between January 2007 and May 2011. Women older than 50 years of age who underwent dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry for bone mineral density and screening colonoscopy at Gangdong Kyung Hee University Hospital in Korea during a routine health checkup were eligible for this study. We performed multivariate analysis adjusted for age, family history of colorectal cancer, alcohol consumption, current smoking, regular aspirin use, exercise, menopause, and postmenopausal hormone use to identify independent predictors for the presence of colorectal adenoma. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measured was the prevalence of colorectal adenoma according to the bone mineral density level. RESULTS: A total of 992 women older than 50 years were assigned to an osteoporosis group (n = 231) or a control group (n = 231) after menopause matching. In univariate analysis, the proportion of colorectal adenoma was significantly higher in the osteoporosis group than in the control group (29.9% vs 20.8%, p = 0.025). Furthermore, osteoporosis (OR = 1.592, 95% CI = 1.004-2.524, p = 0.048) was found to be an independent risk factor for the presence of colorectal adenoma. CONCLUSIONS: Osteoporosis is associated with an increased risk of colorectal adenoma in women older than 50 years.