Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and extrahepatic gastrointestinal cancers.

Metabolism

Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Italy; Metabolic Diseases Research Unit, IRCCS Sacro Cuore - Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar di Valpolicella, Italy. Electronic address:

Published: November 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • - Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is an increasingly common condition that significantly impacts health by raising risks for liver complications, cardiometabolic issues, and gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, which are a major contributor to cancer deaths globally.
  • - The review explores evidence linking MASLD to non-liver GI cancers, examining factors that may explain this increased risk and highlighting the need for tailored screening for individuals with MASLD.
  • - Potential treatments like aspirin, statins, and metformin may help reduce the risk of GI cancers associated with MASLD, but more research is needed to solidify these findings.

Article Abstract

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) poses a significant and ever-increasing health and economic burden worldwide. Substantial epidemiological evidence shows that MASLD is a multisystem disease that is associated not only with liver-related complications but is also associated with an increased risk of developing cardiometabolic comorbidities and extrahepatic cancers (principally gastrointestinal [GI] cancers). GI cancers account for a quarter of the global cancer incidence and a third of cancer-related deaths. In this narrative review, we provide an overview of the literature on (a) the epidemiological data on the risk of non-liver GI cancers in MASLD, (b) the putative mechanisms by which MASLD (and factors linked with MASLD) may increase this risk, and (c) the possible pharmacotherapies beneficially affecting both MASLD and extrahepatic GI cancer risk. There are multiple potential pathophysiological mechanisms by which MASLD may increase extrahepatic GI cancer risk. Although further studies are needed, the current evidence supports a possible extrahepatic carcinogenic role for MASLD, regardless of obesity and diabetes status, thus highlighting the potential role of tailoring cancer screening for individuals with MASLD. Although there are conflicting data in the literature, aspirin, statins and metformin appear to exert some chemo-preventive effects against GI cancer.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2024.156014DOI Listing

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