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Approved research

Serum cardiometabolic and liver function markers in relation to colorectal cancer risk and survival

Principal Investigator: Dr Mingyang Song
Approved Research ID: 46466
Approval date: May 14th 2019

Lay summary

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in the world. It shared several metabolic risk factors with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Despite the link, it remains be established how markers of cardiometabolic conditions are associated with the onset and outcome of colorectal cancer. Another interesting link is between liver disease and colorectal cancer. Patients with chronic liver diseases have been demonstrated to be more likely to develop colorectal cancer. Also, most patients with advanced colorectal cancer die from distant spread into the liver. Recent studies on the gut bacteria have shown a potential relationship between liver-derived metabolites and colorectal cancer mediated through bacterial actions. These data all indicate the importance of better understanding the role of liver function in colorectal cancer. Therefore, in this study, we aim to provide a comprehensive assessment of cardiometabolic biomarkes and liver function tests in relation to colorectal cancer using the soon-to-be released serum biochemistry marker data.

Scope extension:

To better understand the role of serum metabolites in cancer development across different organs/sites, we now propose to include other cancers besides colorectal cancer in the metabolomic analysis. Given the shared mechanisms and etiologies, we will particularly focus on gastrointestinal cancers (e.g., pancreatic and liver cancers) while also examining other non-GI cancers for comparison purposes. These additions are in line with our existing proposal and will significantly extend the impact of our study to better understand cancer etiology.