The following is a summary of “Best anthropometric indices to predict colon cancer,” published in the April 2025 issue of the BMC Gastroenterology by Wang et al.

Colon cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. Given its global prevalence, identifying accessible and cost-effective screening tools is essential, particularly in resource-constrained settings. Anthropometric measurements, which are widely available and non-invasive, offer a practical solution. However, with numerous indices derived from body size and composition, it is critical to determine which indicators most accurately predict colon cancer risk. This study aimed to identify the most effective anthropometric indices for predicting colon cancer by analyzing data from a nationally representative U.S. cohort.

This retrospective cross-sectional analysis utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected between 2005 and 2018. Anthropometric indicators assessed included waist circumference, A Body Shape Index (ABSI), Body Roundness Index (BRI), Conicity Index (ConI), Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR), and Weight-Adjusted Waist Index (WWI). Clinical and demographic variables such as age, race, smoking status, diabetes, and hypertension were also considered. Statistical comparisons were made between individuals with colon cancer and control participants, and the discriminatory power of each anthropometric index was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve with 95% CI.

Among the participants, statistically significant differences were observed between the colon cancer group and controls across several variables, including age, race, smoking history, presence of diabetes and hypertension, and all studied anthropometric indicators (P < 0.05). Among the indices evaluated, ABSI (AUC: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.64–0.71), ConI (AUC: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.64–0.71), and WWI (AUC: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.63–0.70) emerged as the strongest predictors of colon cancer. Furthermore, these three indices exhibited high inter-correlation, suggesting they may capture overlapping aspects of abdominal adiposity and body composition relevant to cancer risk.

This study identifies ABSI, ConI, and WWI as the most effective anthropometric predictors of colon cancer among the measures evaluated, each demonstrating moderate discriminatory power with AUCs ranging from 0.67 to 0.68. These findings underscore the significance of abdominal obesity as a clinical risk factor for colon cancer. Given their ease of measurement and low cost, these indices may serve as practical tools for early screening and risk stratification, particularly in primary care settings and low-resource environments where advanced imaging or biomarker testing is not readily available.

Source: bmcgastroenterol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12876-025-03832-z