The impact of DNA testing on management of patients with colorectal cancer

A drastic difference exists between the 5-year survival rates of colorectal cancer patients with localized cancer and distal organ metastasis. The liver is the most favorable organ for cancer metastases from the colorectum. Beyond the liver-colon anatomic relationship, emerging evidence highlights the impact of liver immune microenvironment on colorectal liver metastasis. Prior to cancer cell dissemination, hepatocytes secrete multiple factors to recruit or activate immune cells and stromal cells in the liver to form a favorable premetastatic niche. The liver-resident cells including Kupffer cells, hepatic stellate cells, and liver-sinusoidal endothelial cells are co-opted by the recruited cells, such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells and tumor-associated macrophages, to establish an immunosuppressive liver microenvironment suitable for tumor cell colonization and outgrowth. Current treatments including radical surgery, systemic therapy, and localized therapy have only achieved good clinical outcomes in a minority of colorectal cancer patients with liver metastasis, which is further hampered by high recurrence rate. Better understanding of the mechanisms governing the metastasis-prone liver immune microenvironment should open new immuno-oncology avenues for liver metastasis intervention.

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National Colorectal Cancer Screening Program in Lithuania: Description of the 5-Year Performance on Population Level

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13051129 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 1129

Author(s):

Audrius Dulskas ◽

Tomas Poskus ◽

Inga Kildusiene ◽

Ausvydas Patasius ◽

Rokas Stulpinas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Quality Assurance ◽

Cancer Screening ◽

Colorectal Cancer Screening ◽

Screening Program ◽

Histopathological Examination ◽

Insurance Fund ◽

Crc Screening ◽

Cancer Screening Program ◽

The Impact

We aimed to report the results of the implementation of the National Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Screening Program covering all the country. The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) reimburses the institutions for performing each service; each procedure within the program has its own administrative code. Information about services provided within the program was retrieved from the database of NHIF starting from the 1 January 2014 to the 31 December 2018. Exact date and type of all provided services, test results, date and results of biopsy and histopathological examination were extracted together with the vital status at the end of follow-up, date of death and date of emigration when applicable for all men and women born between 1935 and 1968. Results were compared with the guidelines of the European Union for quality assurance in CRC screening and diagnosis. The screening uptake was 49.5% (754,061 patients) during study period. Participation rate varied from 16% to 18.1% per year and was higher among women than among men. Proportion of test-positive and test-negative results was similar during all the study period—8.7% and 91.3% annually. Between 9.2% and 13.5% of test-positive patients received a biopsy of which 52.3–61.8% were positive for colorectal adenoma and 4.6–7.3% for colorectal carcinoma. CRC detection rate among test-positive individuals varied between 0.93% and 1.28%. The colorectal cancer screening program in Lithuania coverage must be improved. A screening database is needed to systematically evaluate the impact and performance of the national CRC screening program and quality assurance within the program.

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Clinicopathological features of Egyptian colorectal cancer patients regarding somatic genetic mutations especially in KRAS gene and microsatellite instability status: a pilot study

Egyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics ◽

10.1186/s43042-019-0028-z ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Neemat M. Kassem ◽

Gamal Emera ◽

Hebatallah A. Kassem ◽

Nashwa Medhat ◽

Basant Nagdy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Microsatellite Instability ◽

Cpg Island ◽

Human Cancer ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

World Health ◽

Cpg Island Methylator Phenotype ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths which contributes to a significant public health problem worldwide with 1.8 million new cases and almost 861,000 deaths in 2018 according to the World Health Organization. It exhibits 7.4% of all diagnosed cancer cases in the region of the Middle East and North Africa. Molecular changes that happen in CRCs are chromosomal instability, microsatellite instability (MSI), and CpG island methylator phenotype. The human RAS family (KRAS, NRAS, and HRAS) is the most frequently mutated oncogenes in human cancer appearing in 45% of colon cancers. Determining MSI status across CRCs offers the opportunity to identify patients who are likely to respond to targeted therapies such as anti-PD-1. Therefore, a method to efficiently determine MSI status for every cancer patient is needed. Results KRAS mutations were detected in 31.6% of CRC patients, namely in older patients (p = 0.003). Codons 12 and 13 constituted 5/6 (83.3%) and 1/6 (16.7%) of all KRAS mutations, respectively. We found three mutations G12D, G12C, and G13D which occur as a result of substitution at c.35G>A, c.34G>T, and c.38G>A and have been detected in 4/6 (66.6%), 1/6 (16.7%), and 1/6 (16.7%) patients, respectively. Eleven (57.9%) patients had microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) CRC. A higher percentage of MSI-H CRC was detected in female patients (p = 0.048). Eight patients had both MSI-H CRC and wild KRAS mutation with no statistical significance was found between MSI status and KRAS mutation in these studied patients. Conclusion In conclusion, considering that KRAS mutations confer resistance to EGFR inhibitors, patients who have CRC with KRAS mutation could receive more tailored management by defining MSI status. MSI-high patients have enhanced responsiveness to anti-PD-1 therapies. Thus, the question arises as to whether it is worth investigating this association in the routine clinical setting or not. Further studies with a larger number of patients are needed to assess the impact of MSI status on Egyptian CRC care.

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Antioxidants Promote Intestinal Tumor Progression in Mice

Antioxidants ◽

10.3390/antiox10020241 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 241

Author(s):

Zhiyuan V. Zou ◽

Kristell Le Gal ◽

Ahmed E. El Zowalaty ◽

Lara E. Pehlivanoglu ◽

Viktor Garellick ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Tumor Progression ◽

Human Subjects ◽

Plasma Concentrations ◽

Intestinal Tumor ◽

Adenomatous Polyposis ◽

Intestinal Tumors ◽

The Impact

Dietary antioxidants and supplements are widely used to protect against cancer, even though it is now clear that antioxidants can promote tumor progression by helping cancer cells to overcome barriers of oxidative stress. Although recent studies have, in great detail, explored the role of antioxidants in lung and skin tumors driven by RAS and RAF mutations, little is known about the impact of antioxidant supplementation on other cancers, including Wnt-driven tumors originating from the gut. Here, we show that supplementation with the antioxidants N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and vitamin E promotes intestinal tumor progression in the ApcMin mouse model for familial adenomatous polyposis, a hereditary form of colorectal cancer, driven by Wnt signaling. Both antioxidants increased tumor size in early neoplasias and tumor grades in more advanced lesions without any impact on tumor initiation. Importantly, NAC treatment accelerated tumor progression at plasma concentrations comparable to those obtained in human subjects after prescription doses of the drug. These results demonstrate that antioxidants play an important role in the progression of intestinal tumors, which may have implications for patients with or predisposed to colorectal cancer.

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Beyond Microsatellite Instability: Evolving Strategies Integrating Immunotherapy for Microsatellite Stable Colorectal Cancer

Current Treatment Options in Oncology ◽

10.1007/s11864-021-00870-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (8) ◽

Author(s):

Federica Pecci ◽

Luca Cantini ◽

Alessandro Bittoni ◽

Edoardo Lenci ◽

Alessio Lupi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Microsatellite Instability ◽

Mismatch Repair ◽

Cancer Progression ◽

Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽

Tnm Classification ◽

Standard Of Care ◽

First Line Therapy ◽

Combination Strategies ◽

The Impact

Opinion statementAdvanced colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease, characterized by several subtypes with distinctive genetic and epigenetic patterns. During the last years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revamped the standard of care of several tumors such as non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma, highlighting the role of immune cells in tumor microenvironment (TME) and their impact on cancer progression and treatment efficacy. An “immunoscore,” based on the percentage of two lymphocyte populations both at tumor core and invasive margin, has been shown to improve prediction of treatment outcome when added to UICC-TNM classification. To date, pembrolizumab, an anti-programmed death protein 1 (PD1) inhibitor, has gained approval as first-line therapy for mismatch-repair-deficient (dMMR) and microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) advanced CRC. On the other hand, no reports of efficacy have been presented in mismatch-repair-proficient (pMMR) and microsatellite instability-low (MSI-L) or microsatellite stable (MSS) CRC. This group includes roughly 95% of all advanced CRC, and standard chemotherapy, in addition to anti-EGFR or anti-angiogenesis drugs, still represents first treatment choice. Hopefully, deeper understanding of CRC immune landscape and of the impact of specific genetic and epigenetic alterations on tumor immunogenicity might lead to the development of new drug combination strategies to overcome ICIs resistance in pMMR CRC, thus paving the way for immunotherapy even in this subgroup.

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Mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on colorectal cancer screening: Organized service screening perspectives from the Asia-Pacific region

Preventive Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106622 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 106622

Author(s):

Han-Mo Chiu ◽

Chiu-Wen Su ◽

Weng-Feng Hsu ◽

Grace Hsiao-Hsuan Jen ◽

Chen-Yang Hsu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Cancer Screening ◽

Colorectal Cancer Screening ◽

Asia Pacific ◽

Pacific Region ◽

Asia Pacific Region ◽

The Impact

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Retrospective Review of Multitarget Stool DNA as a Screening Test for Colorectal Cancer

The American Surgeon ◽

10.1177/00031348211031844 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 000313482110318

Author(s):

Thomas K. Kleinschmidt ◽

Austin Clements ◽

Mark A. Parker ◽

Steven D. Scarcliff

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Colon Cancer ◽

Retrospective Review ◽

Screening Test ◽

Hyperplastic Polyps ◽

Dna Testing ◽

History Of ◽

Stool Dna ◽

Stool Dna Testing ◽

Advanced Adenomas

Objectives To review the effectiveness of noninvasive multitarget stool DNA testing as a screening test for colorectal cancer. Methods We performed a retrospective review of patients referred to 2 high volume outpatient procedural centers for colonoscopy for positive Cologuard test. Positive findings for colorectal cancer based on pathologic findings and also advanced adenomas were recorded. Positive predictive value (PPV) was assessed. Results Of the 1585 patients evaluated and referred for colonoscopy from January 1, 2018 to November 1, 2019, for ICD-10 codes R19.5 (other fecal abnormalities) and K92.1 (melena), 84 were referred for a positive Cologuard test. Out of the 84, 6 were excluded based on family history of colon cancer in first degree relative or personal history of inflammatory bowel disease. Of the remaining 78 patients, 1 patient (1.3%) had colorectal cancer and 5 (6.4%) had advanced adenomas (>1 cm size, high grade dysplasia or villous). Postive predictive value for colorectal cancer was 1.3% and for precancerous lesions plus colorectal cancer was 7.7%. A total of 53 (68.0%) patients had either totally normal colonoscopy or hyperplastic polyps. Out of the 78 individuals in our study, 70 (89.7%) had normal findings, hyperplastic polyps, or non-advanced adenomas. Conclusions Multitarget stool DNA testing carries an unacceptably low PPV to be utilized as a screening test for colorectal cancer. The study fails to detect both adenomas and colon cancer at a higher rate than screening colonoscopy in selected studies. The advantage of being noninvasive has been noted to increase colorectal cancer screening in otherwise non-compliant Medicare patients.

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