Abstract:

Objective: Atherosclerosis and cancer are chronic diseases that are considered to be two of the most common causes of death. Given that both diseases are chronic multifactorial, they may also share many etiological and mechanistic processes. Inflammatory processes and oxidative stress are also important factors in the development of both atherosclerosis and cancer. The aim of this study is to provide new evidence, not included in the literature, between calculable atherogenicity risk indices and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) formation, and to encourage the identification of closer molecular links between these two pathologies. Materials and Methods: Atherogenic plasma index (AIP), atherogenic index (AI) and Lipoprotein combined index (LCI) were calculated using mathematical formulas and routine lipid values. The routine lipid parametres and atherogenic index values of the BCC patients (n: 39) were compared with the controls (n: 44). Unpaired t-test were used for parameters with normal distribution and Mann-Whitney test were used for non-normally distributed parameters. Results: Among the serum lipid parameters, only low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) were significantly increased in the patient group. However, all atherogenic indices (AIP, AI and LCI) were found to be statistically significantly higher in the patient group (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Atherosclerosis is associated with a variety of comorbidities; this preliminary study showed an increase in atherogenic risk indices in elderly patients with BCC. There is no doubt that index calculations such as AIP, AI and LCI will increasingly be included in cancer research. Future studies with large participation may better show the clinical importance of serum lipid values and atherogenic risk index calculations.

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