The prevalence of colorectal neoplasm was greater with coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients undergoing coronary angiography, and the association between advanced colonic lesions and CAD was stronger in persons with the metabolic syndrome and a history of smoking, according to Sept. 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers at the Department of Medicine and Statistics and the Department of Actural Science at the University of Hong Kong investigated the prevalence of colorectal neoplasm in patients with CAD in a cross-sectional study to identify predisposing factors for the association of the two diseases.

The prevalence of colorectal neoplasm in the CAD-positive, CAD-negative, and general population groups was 34 percent, 18.8 percent and 20.8 percent, respectively. The prevalence of advanced lesions was 18.4 percent, 8.7 percent and 5.8 percent, and the prevalence of cancer was 4.4 percent, 0.5 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively.

Fifty percent of the cancers in CAD-positive participants were early stage. After adjusting for age and sex, an association still existed between colorectal neoplasm and presence of CAD and between advanced lesions and presence of CAD.

The metabolic syndrome and history of smoking were independent factors for the association of advanced colonic lesions and CAD.