Improved colorectal cancer screening by adding noninvasive serum-based biomarkers

Farouk, Ayman M.; ElDeeb, Mona K.; Kandil, Mona H.; ElBanna, Noha A.; Shamseya, Mohamed M.; Elsedafy, Amel S.; Micheal, Nevine L.; Selimah, Mohamed A.

doi:10.4103/ejs.ejs_262_22

Improved colorectal cancer screening by adding noninvasive serum-based biomarkers

Authors

Abstract

Background
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. The most widely used CRC diagnostic tests either noninvasive or invasive are limited by insufficient performance or patient compliance. Profiling inflammatory mediators with carcinogenic roles could aid in CRC diagnosis. We aimed to use multiplex bead assay in evaluating the utility of serum eotaxin-1, macrophage-inflammatory protein-1β (MIP-1β), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), and Fas ligand (FasL) as potential biomarkers in CRC.
Patients and methods
The study was conducted on 87 patients. Based on colonoscopy findings, patients were divided into 35 CRC and 52 nonmalignant patients (nine with colon polyp, 24 with colitis, and 19 with normal mucosa). Multiplex assay was used for measuring the studied biomarkers.
Results
The median values of eotaxin-1, MIP-1β, G-CSF, and VEGF-A were significantly higher in patients with CRC compared with the nonmalignant group. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve for eotaxin-1, MIP-1β, G-CSF, and VEGF-A was 0.863. The area under the ROC for occult blood in stool was only 0.597. Moreover, significantly higher levels of G-CSF and VEGF-A were found in patients with CRC than the precancerous colon polyp group.
Conclusions
Serum profiling of eotaxin-1, MIP-1β, G-CSF, and VEGF-A could be used as potential biomarkers in early CRC diagnosis with better discriminatory power than stool occult blood and may increase occult blood performance, thus reducing false-positives rates and unneeded colonoscopy. Multiplexing bead technology represents a promising approach for CRC screening and diagnosis.

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