Is elevated serum insulin a marker of increased risk of colorectal cancer?

摘要

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer among men and women worldwide, with an estimated 1.2 million new cases in 2008 [i]. Obesity, diabetes and physical inactivity show consistent, albeit modest, positive associations with risk of this malignancy and might account for a substantial proportion of cases [2,3]. Increases in the prevalence of obesity over the past two decades in developed countries and, more recently, in many developing countries, suggest the possibility that the incidence of this cancer may increase in the future. However, the biological mechanism underlying the association of obesity with colorectal cancer remains to be elucidated.