Retrospective study evaluating association of colorectal tumors and hepatitis C virus.

Background: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been associated with hepatic and extrahepatic malignancies. Limited studies have shown an association between colorectal adenomas and HCV populations.

Aim: To study the prevalence of colorectal adenomas in patients with HCV compared to the general population and to evaluate if it is an independent risk factor for colorectal adenomas.

Methods: Patients were divided into HCV and non-HCV based on their HCV RNA titers. Patients with alcoholic liver disease, hepatitis B infection, and inflammatory bowel disease were excluded. Continuous variables were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, and categorical variables using χ ² with P < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The significant covariates (independent variables) were matched in both groups by propensity score matching, followed by multivariate regression analysis.

Results: Of the 415 patients screened, 109 HCV patients and 97 non-HCV patients with colonoscopy results were included in the study. HCV patients were older, had a smoking history, had less frequent aspirin use, and had a lower body mass index (BMI) (P < 0.05). The HCV cohort had a significantly increased number of patients with adenomas (adenoma detection rate of 53.2% vs 34%. P = 0.006). We performed a propensity-matched multivariate analysis where HCV infection was significantly associated with colorectal adenoma (OR: 2.070, P = 0.019).

Conclusion: Our study shows a significantly higher rate of adenomas in HCV patients compared to the general population. Prospective studies would help determine if the increase in adenoma detection lowers the risk for colorectal cancer.