Abstract
Serum retinol levels were determined by a fluorometric method in patients with colorectal cancer or polyps and those with inflammatory bowel disease. Serum retinol levels in patients with benign or malignant colorectal polyps and stage B cancer (modified Dukes' classification) were similar to those found in controls. By contrast, serum retinol levels were significantly lower in patients with Dukes' stage C or D. Among cancer patients that were followed after surgical treatment serum retinol levels did not differ significantly from those found in controls. Patients who died of metastases during follow-up possessed very low serum retinol levels. These findings suggest that a decreased serum retinol level in cancer patients is a consequence rather than a precursor of the neoplastic process. Furthermore, this study suggests that the marked decrease in serum retinol level might be an indicator of poor prognosis in colorectal cancer patients after surgery.
Highlights
Our study revealed significantly lower retinol levels in the sera of colorectal cancer patients and those with inflammatory bowel disease, than of controls
The retinol levels were similar in patients with benign or malignant colorectal polyps and did not differ from those found in controls
The decreased serum retinol level may be a secondary rather than a primary phenomenon in cancer patients, possibly induced by the tumour itself. Further support for such a hypothesis is provided by the results obtained in our treated patients in whom the mean serum retinol levels estimated postoperatively did not differ from those obtained in controls
Summary
The purpose of this study was to test this latter hypothesis by determining serum retinol level in patients with benign or malignant colonic polyps and in those with colorectal cancers of differing stage
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