Diet, fecal bile acids, and neutral sterols in carcinoma of the colon

Increased concentrations of fecal bile acids and neutral sterols or their degradation products have been linked to certain diets and are implicated in colonic carcinogenesis. We measured fecal bile acid and neutral sterol concentrations by thin-layer and gas-liquid chromatography in 15 patients with colonic adenocarcinoma, 23 controls, and 16 patients with nongastrointestinal cancer. We compared these results with dietary intake. Detailed dietary histories showed no differences among the groups in the ingestion of calories, protein, fiber, fat, or carbohydrate. A wide variation in fecal concentration of individual bile acids and neutral sterols was found within each group, but no significant differences in the total bile acid or total neutral sterol per gram dry weight feces were found. Decreased coprostanol, coprostanone, and lithocholic acid excretion was found in the colon cancer group compared with controls. The fecal excretion of all bile acids and neutral sterols was lower significantly in the nongastrointestinal cancer patients with liver metastases as compared with those without. We conclude that total bile acid and total neutral sterol excretion is similar in the three groups, all ingesting similar diets. We cannot confirm reported increased excretion of total bile acids nor excessive bacterial conversion to degradation products in colonic cancer patients. Hepatic metastases correlate with decreased fecal excretion of both bile acids and neutral sterols, which may be due to diminished hepatobiliary excretion.