Plenary Session
AB106. SOH26AB_0471. CT-derived visceral adiposity and sarcopenia demonstrate a stronger correlation with epigenetic age compared to age by birth in early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) treated with curative intent
Aine Daly1, Aaron O’Mahoney2, Ellen Boyle2, Umar Mahmood2, Carolyn Cullinane2, Ciara Ryan3, Eoghan Condon2, Grzegorz Korpanty3,4, Mazen El Bassiouni5, Emma McNamara2, Colin Peirce2,4, Michael O’Reilly2,4, Aedin Culhane4,6, John Calvin Coffey2,4, Christina Fleming2,4
1Department of Radiology, University Hospital Limerick, Limerick, Ireland;
2Department of Colorectal Surgery, University Hospital Limerick, Limerick, Ireland;
3Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital Limerick, Limerick, Ireland;
4School of Medicine, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland;
5Department of Radiation Oncology, Mater Private, Limerick, Ireland;
6Limerick Digital Cancer Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
Background: Early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) is increasing globally and in Ireland. One hypothesis is accelerated aging (AA). Epigenetic age (EpiAge) is calculated using a blood-based algorithm and correlates strongly with age in whole body tissue/cell testing and is considered a more accurate predictor of DNA methylation than age by birth. This study aimed to examine the strength of relationship between dysmetabolic body composition with EpiAge and age by birth to better understand why it is prognostic of worse outcomes in EOCRC.
Methods: EOCRC patients diagnosed in the Mid-West of Ireland from 2015 to 2024 (inclusive) and treated with curative intent (stage I–III) were included. EpiAge was calculated using a validated blood-based algorithm. Computed tomography (CT)-derived body composition was measured on staging CT during arterial portography (CTAP). Visceral adipose area was quantified on a single CT slice 6 cm above L4–L5, and skeletal muscle area at L3. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were used depending on data distribution, and significance was observed at P<0.05.
Results: Ninety-one patients were suitable for inclusion (n=49 colon, n=42 rectal). Forty-one percent (n=37) had high visceral adiposity and 35% (n=32) had sarcopenia. EpiAge was older than age by birth in 77% (n=70) of EOCRC and 83% (n=35) of rectal cancers. Visceral adiposity correlated with EpiAge stronger than age by birth in EOCRC (r=0.69, P=0.005; r=0.25, P=0.1). This difference was more significant in colon cancer (r=0.79, P≤0.001; r=0.35, P=0.55) than rectal cancer. Sarcopenia correlated with EpiAge stronger than age by birth also (r=0.94, P≤0.01; r=0.48, P=0.65). EpiAge was significantly associated with disease-specific mortality, unlike age by birth [odds ratio (OR) =6.6; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.84–0.95; P=0.03].
Conclusions: EpiAge correlates strongly with dysmetabolic body composition in EOCRC, further strengthening the aetiological relationship between AA and EOCRC.
Keywords: Accelerated aging; body composition analysis; early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC); epigenetic age (EpiAge); visceral adiposity and sarcopenia
Acknowledgments
None.
Funding: None.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
doi: 10.21037/map-26-ab106
Cite this abstract as: Daly A, O’Mahoney A, Boyle E, Mahmood U, Cullinane C, Ryan C, Condon E, Korpanty G, El Bassiouni M, McNamara E, Peirce C, O’Reilly M, Culhane A, Coffey JC, Fleming C. AB106. SOH26AB_0471. CT-derived visceral adiposity and sarcopenia demonstrate a stronger correlation with epigenetic age compared to age by birth in early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) treated with curative intent. Mesentery Peritoneum 2026;10:AB106.
