Duodenal bile acid profiles in patients with colorectal cancer or polyps

Objective: To assess the detailed duodenal bile acid profile in patients with colorectal cancer or polyps compared with controls. Design: Patients were matched where possible with controls excluding most factors known to affect the bile acid profile. Methods: Thirty-three patients (11 in each group) had duodenal bile collected endoscopically and bile acids were measured by gas liquid chromatography. Results: Patients with colorectal cancer had a higher proportion (median, range) of secondary bile acids (37.3, 24.1-50%) in their biliary bile compared with controls (25.2, 15.4-56.9%; P = 0.02; Mann-Whitney U-test) and also when compared with patients with polyps (28.2, 10.1-41.7%; P = 0.057). These differences were not significantly correlated to bowel transit time or daily stool weight