Diagnostic value of alanine aminotransferase and hemoglobin for colorectal cancer

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of alanine aminotransferase and hemoglobin for colorectal cancer. Methods Clinical data about 123 newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients, 87 cases of colorectal polyps and 324 healthy controls in Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2014 to June 2017 were collected. The blood routine indicators and serum liver function indicators were compared between three groups. Results Univariate analysis showed that hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean red blood cell hemoglobin (MCH), mean erythrocyte hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), monocyte platelet count (PLT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), direct bilirubin (DBil) in the colorectal cancer group were significantly lower than those in healthy control group and colorectal polyps group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P＜ 0.01). Hb+ALT was the best indicator for diagnosing colorectal cancer. Area under ROC curve of Hb+ALT was 0.816 (95% CI, 0.760 to 0.871), and the sensitivity and specificity were 89.7% and 57.7% respectively. The accuracy of the binary logistic model for differential diagnosis of colorectal cancer and colorectal polyps was 73.3%. Conclusion The combination of ALT and Hb can be used in the early differentiation and diagnosis of colorectal cancer.