Does appendectomy increase the risk of colorectal adenocarcinoma?

Abstract

Colorectal cancer ranks third as the most common malignancy in the United States and represents the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality. The appendix is thought to have a productive effect against colorectal carcinoma by the immune function based on its association with substantial lymphatic tissue. But, an appendectomy is still the most commonly performed emergency surgical procedure. It is aimed to assess the association between colorectal cancer and appendicectomy. The medical records of 455 patients who received medical and/or surgical treatment with the diagnosis of colorectal carcinoma in two medical centers in a-five-year period were reviewed. The patients were divided into subgroups according to the colonic localization of the tumor, appendectomy status and their body mass indexes (BMI). In order to define independent predictors of colon adeno-cancer, multiple logistic regression analysis was used. Statistically significant variables according to the univariate statistics were selected as candidate variables for multiple logistic regression analysis. A p-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Out of 455 colorectal adenocarcinoma patients, 122 (26.81%) were in right colon adenocarcinoma (CA) group, 267 (56.68%) were in left CA group and 66 (14.5%) were in the rectum adenocarcinoma group. Appendectomy was found as the second highest risk factor in rectum and right colon adenocarcinoma. Being appendectomized increases the risk of rectum adenocarcinoma 3.232 times (95%CI: 1.670–6.254), left CA 2.537 times (95%CI: 1.544–4.168) and right CA 3.607 times (95%CI: 2.056–6.330). In the light of our findings, we suggest that being appendectomized might increase the risk of colorectal adenocarcinoma in sporadic cases.