Pre-diagnostic Serum Glyceraldehyde-Derived Advanced Glycation End Products and Mortality Among Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Glyceraldehyde-derived advanced glycation end products (glycer-AGEs) could contribute to colorectal cancer development and progression due to their pro-oxidative and pro-inflammatory properties. However, the association of glycer-AGEs with mortality after colorectal cancer diagnosis has not been previously investigated. Circulating glycer-AGEs were measured by competitive ELISA. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations of circulating glycer-AGEs concentrations with CRC-specific and all-cause mortality among 1,034 colorectal cancer (CRC) cases identified within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study between 1993 and 2013. During a mean of 48 months of follow-up, 529 participants died (409 from CRC). Glycer-AGEs were statistically significantly positively associated with CRC-specific (HR Q5 vs Q1 =1.53, 95%CI: 1.04-2.25, P trend =0.002) and all-cause (HR Q5 vs Q1 =1.62, 95%CI: 1.16-2.26, P trend <0.001) mortality among individuals with CRC. There was suggestion of a stronger association between glycer-AGEs and CRC-specific mortality among patients with distal colon cancer (per SD increment: HR proximal colon =1.02, 95%CI: 0.74-1.42; HR distal colon =1.51, 95%CI: 1.20-1.91; P effect modification =0.02). The highest HR was observed among CRC cases in the highest body mass index (BMI) and glycer-AGEs category relative to lowest BMI and glycer-AGEs category for both CRC-specific (HR=1.78, 95%CI: 1.02-3.01) and all-cause mortality (HR=2.15, 95%CI: 1.33-3.47), although no statistically significant effect modification was observed. Our study found that pre-diagnostic circulating glycer-AGEs are positively associated with CRC-specific and all-cause mortality among individuals with CRC. Further investigations in other populations and stratifying by tumor location and BMI are warranted. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.