The frequency of colon lesions in the first-degree relatives of patients with adenomatous polyp or premalignant/ malignant colon lesions referring to the PERSIAN Guilan Elderly Cohort Study (PGECS)

Abstract

Abstract Background Family history of colon cancer or adenomatous polyp is associated with an increased risk of colon cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of colonic lesions in the first-degree relatives of patients with adenomatous polyp or premalignant/ malignant colon lesions referring to the geriatric cohort of Guilan. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 162 subjects who were the first-degree relatives of 52 patients with adenomatous polyp were investigated and underwent total colonoscopy based on the guidelines proposed for screening colorectal cancer. Moreover, the subjects’ demographic information, colonoscopy results, and pathological findings were recorded using a checklist Logistic regression with backward elimination (p-value for removal > 0.1) was used to identify factors associated with presence of colon polyps. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Results In total, 86 colon polyps (52 neoplastic and 34 non-neoplastic polyps) were observed in 56 (34.6%) individuals. Being older, higher BMI, cigarette smoking, and diabetes were significantly associated with a greater risk of having colon polyps. In contrast, higher consumption of vegetables as well as fruits were significantly associated with a less risk of having colon polyps. Conclusions Considering the high prevalence of neoplastic colon polyps among the first-degree relatives of the patients with adenomatous polyp, early screening is recommended for the people with family history of this disease in the same way that people with family history of colorectal cancer (CRC) are screened.