HDL and Colorectal Cancer Risk

Small studies have shown an inverse association between serum levels of HDL and risk for colorectal cancer. The current investigation — a nested case-control study within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition — is the largest yet to address this issue.

The study cohort, drawn from 10 western European countries, included more than 520,000 participants who completed dietary and lifestyle questionnaires, had their anthropomorphic measurements recorded, and donated blood samples for future analysis. A total of 1238 participants who developed colorectal cancer after enrollment were matched with controls —1238 cancer-free participants — by age, sex, study center, follow-up time, and details at blood collection (time, pat…