Volume 134, Issue 3 pp. 612-621
Epidemiology

Adiposity, mediating biomarkers and risk of colon cancer in the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition study

Krasimira Aleksandrova

Corresponding Author

Krasimira Aleksandrova

Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany

Correspondence to: Krasimira Aleksandrova, PhD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Arthur-Scheunert Allee 114-116, 14558 Nuthetal, Germany, Tel.: +49-33200-88-2-712, Fax: +49-33200-88-2-721, E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author
Dagmar Drogan

Dagmar Drogan

Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany

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Heiner Boeing

Heiner Boeing

Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany

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Mazda Jenab

Mazda Jenab

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), Lyon, France

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H. Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita

H. Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita

National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands

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Eugene Jansen

Eugene Jansen

National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands

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Fränzel J.B. van Duijnhoven

Fränzel J.B. van Duijnhoven

National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands

Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

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Sabina Rinaldi

Sabina Rinaldi

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), Lyon, France

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Veronika Fedirko

Veronika Fedirko

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), Lyon, France

Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

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Isabelle Romieu

Isabelle Romieu

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), Lyon, France

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Rudolf Kaaks

Rudolf Kaaks

Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany

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Elio Riboli

Elio Riboli

Division of Epidemiology, Public Health and Primary Care, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom

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Marc J. Gunter

Marc J. Gunter

Division of Epidemiology, Public Health and Primary Care, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom

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Dora Romaguera

Dora Romaguera

Division of Epidemiology, Public Health and Primary Care, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom

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Sabine Westhpal

Sabine Westhpal

Institute of Clinical Chemistry, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany

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Kim Overvad

Kim Overvad

Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

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Anne Tjønneland

Anne Tjønneland

Department of Diet, Genes and Environment, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark

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Jytte Halkjær

Jytte Halkjær

Department of Diet, Genes and Environment, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark

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Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruault

Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruault

Inserm, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health, U1018, Institut Gustave Roussy, and Paris South University, UMRS 1018, Villejuif, France

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Françoise Clavel-Chapelon

Françoise Clavel-Chapelon

Inserm, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health, U1018, Institut Gustave Roussy, and Paris South University, UMRS 1018, Villejuif, France

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Annekatrin Lukanova

Annekatrin Lukanova

Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany

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Antonia Trichopoulou

Antonia Trichopoulou

WHO Collaborating Center for Food and Nutrition Policies, Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece

Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece

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Dimitrios Trichopoulos

Dimitrios Trichopoulos

Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece

Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA

Bureau of Epidemiologic Research, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece

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Pavlos Vidalis

Pavlos Vidalis

Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece

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Salvatore Panico

Salvatore Panico

Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Federico II University, Naples, Italy

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Claudia Agnoli

Claudia Agnoli

Nutritional Epidemiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milano, Italy

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Domenico Palli

Domenico Palli

Molecular and Nutritional Epidemiology Unit, Cancer Research and Prevention Institute-ISPO, Florence, Italy

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Rosario Tumino

Rosario Tumino

Cancer Registry and Histopathology Unit, “M.P.Arezzo” Hospital, Ragusa, Italy

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Paolo Vineis

Paolo Vineis

Division of Epidemiology, Public Health and Primary Care, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom

HuGeF Foundation, Turin, Italy

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Genevieve Buckland

Genevieve Buckland

Unit of Nutrition, Environment and Cancer, Cancer Epidemiology Research Programme, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO-IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain

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José-Juan Sánchez-Cruz

José-Juan Sánchez-Cruz

Andalusian School of Public Health, Granada, Spain

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Miren Dorronsoro

Miren Dorronsoro

Epidemiology and Health Information, Public Health Division of Gipuzkoa, Basque Regional Health Department, San Sebastian, Spain

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María José Tormo Díaz

María José Tormo Díaz

Servicio de Epidemiología, Department of Epidemiology, Consejería de Sanidad y Politica Social, Murcia, Spain

Regional Health Council, CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain

Facultad de Medicina de Murcia, Murcia School of Medicine, Murcia, Spain

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Aurelio Barricarte

Aurelio Barricarte

Navarre Public Health Institute, Pamplona, Spain

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J. Ramon Quiros

J. Ramon Quiros

Public Health Directorate, Asturias, Spain

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Petra H. Peeters

Petra H. Peeters

Division of Epidemiology, Public Health and Primary Care, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom

Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands

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Anne M. May

Anne M. May

Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands

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Göran Hallmans

Göran Hallmans

Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Nutritional Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

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Richard Palmqvist

Richard Palmqvist

Department of Medical Biosciences, Pathology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

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Francesca L. Crowe

Francesca L. Crowe

Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

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Kay-Tee Khaw

Kay-Tee Khaw

Medical Research Council UK and Cancer Research UK, London, United Kingdom

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Nickolas Wareham

Nickolas Wareham

Medical Research Council UK and Cancer Research UK, London, United Kingdom

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Tobias Pischon

Tobias Pischon

Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany

Molecular Epidemiology Group, Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin-Buch, Germany

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First published: 20 November 2013
Citations: 40

Abstract

Adiposity is a risk factor for colon cancer, but underlying mechanisms are not well understood. We evaluated the extent to which 11 biomarkers with inflammatory and metabolic actions mediate the association of adiposity measures, waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI), with colon cancer in men and women. We analyzed data from a prospective nested case–control study among 662 incident colon cancer cases matched within risk sets to 662 controls. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using conditional logistic regression. The percent effect change and corresponding CIs were estimated after adjusting for biomarkers shown to be associated with colon cancer risk. After multivariable adjustment, WC was associated with colon cancer risk in men (top vs. bottom tertile RR 1.68, 95% CI 1.06–2.65; ptrend = 0.02) and in women (RR 1.67, 95% CI 1.09–2.56; ptrend = 0.03). BMI was associated with risk only in men. The association of WC with colon cancer was accounted mostly for by three biomarkers, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, non-high-molecular-weight adiponectin and soluble leptin receptor, which in combination explained 46% (95% CI 37–57%) of the association in men and 50% (95% CI 40–65%) of the association in women. Similar results were observed for the associations with BMI in men. These data suggest that alterations in levels of these metabolic biomarkers may represent a primary mechanism of action in the relation of adiposity with colon cancer. Further studies are warranted to determine whether altering their concentrations may reduce colon cancer risk.

Abstract

What's new?

Adiposity is a well-established risk factor for colon cancer. However, the mechanisms that underlie this relationship still aren't well understood. In this study, the authors evaluated a panel of inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers for their impact on colon-cancer risk. They found that serum levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, non-high-molecular-weight adiponectin, and soluble leptin receptor had the greatest impact on the association between adiposity and colon cancer. These biomarkers may thus lead to promising strategies for the targeted prevention of colon cancer.

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