Introduction: The presence of inflammation is a key hallmark of cancer and, plays an important role in disease progression and survival in colorectal cancer (CRC). Calprotectin detected in the faeces is a sensitive measure of colonic inflammation. The role of FC as a diagnostic test that may categorise patients by risk of neoplasia is poorly defined. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to characterise the relationship between elevations of FC and colorectal neoplasia.
Methods: A systematic review was performed using the keywords (MESH terms) and a statistical and meta-analysis was performed.
Results: A total of 35 studies are included in this review. CRC patients are more likely than controls to have an elevated FC OR 5.19, 95% CI 3.12-8.62, p < 0.001 with a heterogeneity (I2 = 27%). No tumour characteristics significantly correlated with FC, only stage of CRC shows signs that it may potentially correlate with FC.
Conclusion: FC levels are significantly higher in CRC, with high sensitivity. Its low specificity prevents it from being used to diagnose or screen for CRC.
Keywords: Colorectal cancer; Faecal calprotectin; Neoplasia.
© 2022. The Author(s).