Colorectal Cancer Incidence in Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD, MetALD, and ALD)

Obesity and alcohol consumption are established risk factors for colorectal cancer (CRC). Recently, a multisociety consensus group has introduced a new classification for steatotic liver disease (SLD), which encompasses metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), MASLD and increased alcohol intake (MetALD), and alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). However, the risk of developing CRC in each of these SLD subgroups is unknown. This nationwide cohort study investigated the risk of CRC in MASLD, MetALD, and ALD patients. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of CRC in each SLD subgroup.

We conducted a nationwide, population-based study that included 1,497,813 patients diagnosed with MASLD, MetALD, or ALD, alongside 4,885,536 individuals with no known liver disease as a comparison group. The primary outcome was the incidence of CRC and the risk of CRC was compared between MASLD, MetALD and ALD.

The 5- and 10-year cumulative CRC incidence rates were 0.22% and 0.48% for MASLD, 0.32% and 0.73% for MetALD, and 0.43% and 0.97% for ALD, and 0.15% and 0.31% for the comparison group, respectively. The cumulative incidence of CRC was highest for ALD and significantly greater than that for MetALD, MASLD, and the comparison group (both P < .001). Using the comparison group as the reference and adjusting for age, sex, smoking habit, number of colorectal examinations, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and medication use, the adjusted hazard ratios for CRC were 1.73 (95% CI, 1.59-1.87) for ALD, 1.36 (95% CI, 1.28-1.45) for MetALD, and 1.28 (95% CI, 1.22-1.35) for MASLD.

The risk of CRC differs significantly among patients with SLD, with the highest incidence observed in those with ALD, followed by MetALD and MASLD.