The association between coronary calcification and adenomatous polyp of colon in Korean adults

Abstract

Background: Colon cancer is one of the most common malignancies and the adenomatous polyp of colon is a precancerous lesion. Screening for colon polyps has been shown to reduce colorectal cancer mortality. Many studies have shown that the adenomatous polyp of colon and cardiovascular disease share common risk factors. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate whether coronary calcification is associated with the adenomatous polyp of colon. Methods: Among 2045 Korean adults, we examined the association between coronary calcium score(CCS) as a measurement of coronary calcification by Multi-detected row computed tomography (MDCT) and the presence of adenomatous polyp of colon as determined by colonoscopy. CCS values were categorized separately as follows: 0, 1-17, 18–105 and ≥106. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for adenomatous polyp of colon were calculated across each group of CCS.Results: After adjusting for confounding variables, the adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for adenomatous polyp of colon according to each of the four groups of CCS were 1.00(reference), 1.46 (0.92 – 2.32), 1.89 (1.17 – 2.99) and 3.57 (2.24 – 5.69).Conclusion: A higher level of CCS was found to be independently and strongly associated with the presence of adenomatous polyp of colon, regardless of traditional cardiovascular risk factors among Korean adults. This finding suggests that people who have high risk for coronary atherosclerosis should be considered for further evaluation of adenomatous polyps of colon.