Abstract / Description
BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a significant global health burden, ranked among the most common causes of cancer-related fatalities. While insulin resistance (IR) biomarkers have been associated with CRC prognosis, their role in predicting metastasis remains unclear. Metastasis remains a critical determinant of prognosis and treatment planning in CRC. Identifying precise biomarkers can improve CRC management. This study evaluates the prognostic efficacy of lipid-based IR biomarkers in predicting metastasis in treatment-naïve CRC patients and selects the most appropriate one. We also explore their association with clinicopathological characteristics. METHOD: Eighty-seven CRC patients (metastatic, n = 24; non-metastatic, n = 63) from four tertiary hospitals in India were analysed. Clinical data included TNM staging, ECOG-PS, KPS, CEA, and lipid profiles. Statistical tests included Fisher’s exact test, Mann-Whitney U-test, ROC curve analysis, Spearman’s correlation, multiple linear regression, and binary logistic regression. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were observed in job status, diet, smoking, alcohol use, diabetes, BMI, and IR markers between metastatic and non-metastatic CRC patients. Among the IR biomarkers, the ratio of LDL to HDL (LHR) demonstrated the highest diagnostic accuracy with an AUC of 0.867 (p