title: May abnormal carotid intima-media thickness predict colorectal neoplasm?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Atherosclerosis was reported as a clinical indicator of colorectal neoplasm. However, a direct association between colorectal neoplasm and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), a surrogate marker for atherosclerosis, has not been established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between abnormal carotid IMT and colorectal neoplasm.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed the data of 192 consecutive patients who underwent both diagnostic colonoscopy and carotid IMT measurements within 3 months. The prevalence of abnormal carotid IMT was compared between patients with and without colorectal neoplasm.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that the risk of abnormal IMT was 1.5 times greater in patients with colorectal adenomas and 3.5 times greater in patients with colorectal adenocarcinomas than those without colorectal neoplasms. Although the association between colorectal neoplasm and abnormal carotid IMT did not reach statistical significance, there was a statistical trend for the association between abnormal carotid IMT and colorectal adenocarcinoma by multivariate analyses (p=0.072).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We identified a statistical trend for the association between colorectal adenocarcinoma and abnormal carotid IMT. However, further prospective studies with a greater number of participants will be necessary to confirm these findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Gang Dong Kyung Hee University Hospital, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea. dramc@hanmail.net
authors.forename: Jae Myung
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Joung Il
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kwang Ro
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.forename: Hyun Phil
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Jae June
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Byung Hyun
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies