Impact of gout on colorectal cancer and its survival: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study

The relationship between gout and colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear, emphasizing the need for additional research to clarify the potential cumulative effect of gout on CRC development.

Leveraging a single nucleotide polymorphism-based genome-wide association study, the potential causal correlation between gout and CRC was initially analyzed using Mendelian randomization (MR). Subsequently, our analysis was expanded to include an assessment of patient survival, with the aim of evaluating the potential causal correlation between gout and CRC and the impact of gout on CRC survival outcomes.

According to MR findings, a substantial relationship was observed between gout and the incidence of CRC when CRC was used as the outcome (OR = 0.954, 95% CI = 0.915–0.995). These results indicate a negative relationship between gout and the likelihood of developing CRC. In addition, when evaluating the overall survival (OS) or cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients with CRC as outcomes, gout exhibited a significant relationship with survival. The inverse variance weighting approach demonstrated a progressive enhancement in CRC survival with the cumulative impact of gout (OS: OR = 2.000 × 10⁻⁴, 95% CI = 1.560 × 10⁻⁷–0.292; CSS: OR = 2.200 × 10⁻⁵, 95% CI = 4.660 × 10⁻⁹–0.104).

As gout accumulates, it exerts an inhibitory influence on CRC, indicating a potential protective effect. This study provides robust evidence that can guide the development of future clinical treatment approaches and research priorities.