Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37833736›Full record

ArticleBMC medicine2023

Prospective and Mendelian randomization analyses on the association of circulating fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP-4) and risk of colorectal cancer.

Katharina Nimptsch, Krasimira Aleksandrova, Thu Thi Pham, Nikos Papadimitriou, Jürgen Janke, Sofia Christakoudi, Alicia Heath, Anja Olsen, Anne Tjønneland, Matthias B Schulze and 23 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

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  10. Integrating plasma proteome with genome reveals novel protein biomarkers in colorectal cancer.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

33 authors at 20 institutions in 10 countries.

Katharina NimptschMolecular Epidemiology Research Group, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin, Germany. katharina.nimptsch@mdc-berlin.de.
Krasimira AleksandrovaDepartment Epidemiological Methods and Etiological Research, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology, Bremen, Germany.
Thu Thi PhamMolecular Epidemiology Research Group, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin, Germany.
Nikos PapadimitriouNutrition and Metabolism Branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), Lyon, France.
Jürgen JankeMolecular Epidemiology Research Group, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin, Germany.
Sofia ChristakoudiDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Alicia HeathDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Anja OlsenDanish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Anne TjønnelandDanish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Matthias B SchulzeDepartment of Molecular Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nutehtal, Germany.
Verena KatzkeDepartment of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
Rudolf KaaksDepartment of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
Bethany van GuelpenDepartment of Radiation Sciences, Oncology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Justin HarbsDepartment of Radiation Sciences, Oncology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Domenico PalliCancer Risk Factors and Life-Style Epidemiology Unit, Institute for Cancer Research, Prevention and Clinical Network (ISPRO), Florence, Italy.
Alessandra MacciottaDepartment of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Fabrizio PasanisiDipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Federico II University, Naples, Italy.
Sandra Milena Colorado YoharDepartment of Epidemiology, Murcia Regional Health Council, IMIB-Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain.
Marcela GuevaraCIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
Pilar AmianoCIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
Sara GrioniEpidemiology and Prevention Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan, 20133, Italy.
Paula Gabriela JakszynUnit of Nutrition and Cancer, Cancer Epidemiology Research Programme, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO-IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain.
Jane C FigueiredoCedars-Sinai Medical Center Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
N Jewel SamadderDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Christopher I LiPublic Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
Victor MorenoCIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
John D PotterPublic Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
Robert E SchoenDepartment of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Caroline Y UmDepartment of Population Science, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Elisabete WeiderpassInternational Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization, Lyon, France.
Mazda JenabNutrition and Metabolism Branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), Lyon, France.
Marc J GunterNutrition and Metabolism Branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), Lyon, France.
Tobias PischonMolecular Epidemiology Research Group, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin, Germany.
Centre International de Recherche sur le Cancer · FRMax Delbrück Center · DEDanish Cancer Society · DKFred Hutch Cancer Center · USImperial College London · GBUmeå University · SEAmerican Cancer Society · USBasque Government · ESCedars-Sinai Medical Center · USCentro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública · ESCharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin · DEFederico II University Hospital · ITFondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori · ITGerman Cancer Research Center · DEHeidelberg University · DENavarre Institute of Health Research · ESPiedmont Reference Center for Epidemiology and Cancer Prevention · ITUniversidad de Antioquia · COUniversitat Ramon Llull · ESUniversity of Bremen · DE

Funding

Cancer Research UK 29017Cancer Research UK C8221/A29017Cancer Research UK C864/A14136Medical Research Council MR/M012190/1Medical Research Council MR/N003284/1World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP-4) is a lipid-binding adipokine upregulated in obesity, which may facilitate fatty acid supply for tumor growth and promote insulin resistance and inflammation and may thus play a role in colorectal cancer (CRC) development. We aimed to investigate the association between circulating FABP-4 and CRC and to assess potential causality using a Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.

methodsThe association between pre-diagnostic plasma measurements of FABP-4 and CRC risk was investigated in a nested case-control study in 1324 CRC cases and the same number of matched controls within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. A two-sample Mendelian randomization study was conducted based on three genetic variants (1 cis, 2 trans) associated with circulating FABP-4 identified in a published genome-wide association study (discovery n = 20,436) and data from 58,131 CRC cases and 67,347 controls in the Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium, Colorectal Cancer Transdisciplinary Study, and Colon Cancer Family Registry.

resultsIn conditional logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders including body size, the estimated relative risk, RR (95% confidence interval, CI) per one standard deviation, SD (8.9 ng/mL) higher FABP-4 concentration was 1.01 (0.92, 1.12) overall, 0.95 (0.80, 1.13) in men and 1.09 (0.95, 1.25) in women. Genetically determined higher FABP-4 was not associated with colorectal cancer risk (RR per FABP-4 SD was 1.10 (0.95, 1.27) overall, 1.03 (0.84, 1.26) in men and 1.21 (0.98, 1.48) in women). However, in a cis-MR approach, a statistically significant association was observed in women (RR 1.56, 1.09, 2.23) but not overall (RR 1.23, 0.97, 1.57) or in men (0.99, 0.71, 1.37).

conclusionsTaken together, these analyses provide no support for a causal role of circulating FABP-4 in the development of CRC, although the cis-MR provides some evidence for a positive association in women, which may deserve to be investigated further.

Indexed as

Colorectal NeoplasmsCase-Control StudiesFatty Acid-Binding ProteinsFemaleGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansMaleMendelian Randomization AnalysisPolymorphism, Single NucleotideProspective StudiesRisk FactorsFABP4 protein, humanFatty Acid-Binding ProteinsColorectal cancerFABP-4Mendelian randomization

Identifiers

PMID37833736
PMCPMC10576353
OpenAlexW4387613234

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.