High CRP in Metabolic Syndrome patients Linked to high Cancer Risk, finds study

Metabolic syndrome, characterised by a cluster of metabolic abnormalities including obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance, has been linked to heightened cancer susceptibility. Chronic inflammation, often coexisting with MetS, further exacerbates this risk, potentially accelerating cancer initiation and progression.

In this prospective cohort study, researchers analysed data from 44,115 participants to investigate the association between MetS score trajectories and new-onset cancer. Latent mixture modelling was employed to identify distinct MetS score trajectory patterns, and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess cancer risk based on these patterns.

Key Findings:

Four MetS score trajectory patterns were identified:

• Low-stable (n = 4657)

• Moderate-low (n = 18,018)

• Moderate-high (n = 18,288)

• Elevated-increasing (n = 3152)

Compared to those with a low-stable trajectory, individuals with an elevated-increasing pattern had a significantly higher risk of overall cancer incidence and specific cancer types:

• Overall cancer risk (HR: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.04–1.55)

• Breast cancer (HR: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.04–4.34)

• Endometrial cancer (HR: 3.33; 95% CI: 1.16–6.77)

• Kidney cancer (HR: 4.52; 95% CI: 1.17–10.48)

• Colorectal cancer (HR: 2.54; 95% CI: 1.27–5.09)

• Liver cancer (HR: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.09–4.57)

• Moreover, among participants exhibiting chronic inflammation (C-reactive protein levels ≥3 mg/L), the elevated-increasing trajectory was significantly associated with subsequent breast, endometrial, colorectal, and liver cancers.

The research  indicates that individuals with MetS, particularly when coupled with chronic inflammation, are at an increased risk of cancer.

Furthermore the. study underscores the significance of long-term monitoring and evaluation of MetS trajectories in assessing cancer risk. Identification of elevated-increasing MetS trajectories may serve as an early indicator for heightened cancer susceptibility, particularly for breast, endometrial, kidney, colorectal, and liver cancers. This emphasises the necessity for proactive management strategies targeting MetS to mitigate cancer risk effectively.

Reference:

Deng, L., Liu, T., Liu, C.-A., Zhang, Q., Song, M.-M., Lin, S.-Q., Wang, Y.-M., Zhang, Q.-S., & Shi, H.-P. The association of metabolic syndrome scores trajectory patterns with risk of all cancer types. Cancer,2024. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.35235