Serum visfatin level as a prognostic marker in colorectal cancer patients: A retrospective cohort study

Colorectal cancer is the third common cancer in women and the fourth one among men, worldwide. Identifying prognostic factors are among the current challenges in cancer management. There are some evidence that visfatin, an adipocyte-secreted peptide, plays a significant role in cancer progression, proliferation, angiogenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance. In this study, we examined the serum concentration of visfatin and its impact on colorectal cancer prognosis.

Sixty-nine colorectal patients who had been followed up for two years at Razavi Hospital, Mashhad, Iran were evaluated. Information regarding the patients’ cancer status, including primary tumor location, tumor size, histology, tumor differentiation, stage of TNM, metastasis or lymphatic invasion, treatment options over the past two years, as well as the disease status, including recurrences and survival, was collected. An ELISA kit was used to measure serum visfatin concentrations and the relationship between serum visfatin concentrations and the prognosis of colorectal cancer was examined using SPSS software.

Visfatin played a small role in death, metastasis, and recurrence of colorectal cancer. Additionally, Cox regression analysis revealed no significant relationship between death, metastasis and recurrence rate and visfatin concentration (p>0.05). Additionally, no significant difference in visfatin concentration was found between two genders.

The results of this study showed that according to survival analysis and Cox regression, there was no significant association between serum concentration of visfatin and death, metastasis, or recurrence in colorectal cancer.So, visfatin does not seem a good biomarker for colorectal cancer prognosis prediction. Further studies are recommended.