• anti-proliferative effects
• cancer cells
• honey
• oxidative stress

• Honey
• Humans
• Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology
• Neoplasms/drug therapy
• Animals
• Signal Transduction/drug effects

• Project funding from NextGeneration EU and Compagnia di San Paolo. Project funding from NextGeneration EU and Compagnia di San Paolo.

• Apigenin
• cell viability
• colorectal cancer
• flavonoids
• tumor size

• Animals
• Humans
• Adenocarcinoma/drug therapy
• Adenocarcinoma/pathology
• Apigenin/pharmacology
• Apigenin/therapeutic use
• Apoptosis/drug effects
• Cell Cycle Checkpoints/drug effects
• Cell Proliferation/drug effects
• Cell Survival/drug effects
• Colorectal Neoplasms/drug therapy
• Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology

• 99-1-49-17478 Iran University of Medical Sciences
• Iran University of Medical Sciences

• 18F-FDG
• PET/CT
• carcinoma
• colon
• presurgical
• staging
• surgery

• NLRP3
• cancer
• digestive system tumors
• inflammasome
• pyroptosis

• Humans
• Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal/pathology
• Digestive System/pathology
• Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma/pathology
• Gallbladder Neoplasms/pathology
• Inflammasomes/metabolism
• Neoplasms/pathology
• Pyroptosis
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/pathology
• Stomach Neoplasms/pathology
• Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology
• Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology

• National Natural Science Foundation of China
• Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province

This study explored the colorectal cancer exosome lncRNA prostate cancer associated transcript 1– (PCAT1) mediated circulating tumors and the mechanism of cell colorectal cancer liver metastasis.

Exosomes were extracted from the primary colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines HCT116 and SW480 and cultured with T84 and human umbilical vein endothelial (HUVE) cells. The expression of PCAT1 and miR-329-3p was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), the expression of Netrin-1, CD146, and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) related proteins was detected by Western blot, the proliferation activity of T84 cells was detected by cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8), and cell migration was detected by Transwell. The expression of the F-actin signal was detected by immunofluorescence after coculture of exosomes with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Changes in subcutaneous tumor and liver nodule size after PCAT1 deletion were observed in a mouse model of liver metastasis from rectal cancer.

PCAT1 expression was upregulated in primary cell lines and their exosomes. After exosomes were cocultured with colorectal cancer tumor circulating T84 cells, the expression of Netrin-1 and CD146 was upregulated, the expression of miR-329-3p was downregulated, the proliferation and migration ability of T84 cells were enhanced, and EMT occurred. After knocking down PCAT1, the above phenomenon was reversed. Similarly, after exosomes were cocultured with HUVECs, the expression of the F-actin signal increased, and after PCAT1 was knocked down, the F-actin signal also decreased. PCAT1 regulates miR-329-3p/Netrin-1 and affects the biological behavior of T84 and F-actin signal expression in HUVECs. In a mouse model of colorectal cancer liver metastasis, knocking down PCAT1 significantly reduced the nodules formed by liver metastasis in mice.

LncRNA PCAT1 derived from colorectal cancer exosomes regulates the activity of the Netrin-1-CD146 complex in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to promote the occurrence of colorectal cancer EMT and liver metastasis and provides new molecular targets for the treatment of colorectal cancer liver metastasis.

While it is well established that perioperative use of oral nutrition supplement (ONS) improves nutrition status among severely malnourished surgical cancer patients, the evidence requires further substantiation for non-severely malnourished patients with cancer. This protocol paper presents the rationale and design of a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of preoperative as well as an extended 90-day postoperative use of ONS on nutritional and clinical outcomes among patients undergoing elective surgery for breast and colorectal cancer.

Patients with primary breast and colorectal cancer undergoing elective surgery are recruited from two tertiary hospitals. Eligible patients are assigned into one of the three intervention arms: (i) Group SS will receive ONS in addition to their normal diet up to 14 days preoperatively and postoperatively up to discharge; (ii) Group SS-E will receive ONS in addition to their normal diet up to 14 days preoperatively, postoperatively up to discharge and for an extended 90 days after discharge; and (iii) Group DS will receive ONS in addition to their normal diet postoperatively up to discharge from the hospital. The ONS is a standard formula fortified with lactium to aid in sleep for recovery. The primary endpoints include changes in weight, body mass index (BMI), serum albumin and prealbumin levels, while secondary endpoints are body composition (muscle and fat mass), muscle strength (handgrip strength), energy and protein intake, sleep quality, haemoglobin, inflammatory markers (transferrin, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6), stress marker (saliva cortisol), length of hospital stay and postoperative complication rate.

This trial is expected to provide evidence on whether perioperative supplementation in breast and colorectal cancer patients presenting with high BMI and not severely malnourished but undergoing the stress of surgery would be beneficial in terms of nutritional and clinical outcomes.

ClinicalTrial.gov NCT04400552. Registered on 22 May 2020, retrospectively registered

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-021-05716-5.

• Breast cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Non-severe malnutrition
• Perioperative oral nutrition supplement
• Surgical outcomes

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common gastrointestinal cancer. In the Saudi Cancer Registry, CRC ranked as the most common cancer in men and the third most common cancer in women. Data regarding the stage of CRC at presentation and patient demographics and outcomes in Saudi Arabia are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, survival, and mortality rates of patients with non-metastatic CRC in a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia. 

Methods

We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum at King Abdulaziz University Hospital between 2013 and 2017. Patients aged ≥18 years who presented with non-metastatic CRC and underwent curative resection were included. Patients with rectal cancer or metastatic colon cancer were excluded. Data on demographic characteristics, histopathological findings, tumor-node-metastasis stage, biomarkers, and surgical interventions were collected. Recurrence-free survival was defined as the time from surgery to the date of recurrence or death. All statistical analyses were performed using Stata/IC 15.1 (StataCorp, College Station, TX, USA).

Results

Among 260 patients diagnosed with CRC, 82 were included based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Among those patients, 65.9% were men and 47.5% were Saudi citizens. The mean age at the time of diagnosis was 60.8 years. Fifty-three patients (64.6%) had left-sided colon cancer. The mean tumor diameter was 52.6 mm. Most colon tumors were T3 lesions (71.3%), and 41% of patients did not have lymph node involvement (N0). Most patients (85.1%) underwent open surgery. In the multivariate analysis, only resection margin status and N stage (hazard ratio: 17.7 and 3.7, respectively) were identified as statistically significant factors affecting the recurrence-free survival. The one-, two-, and five-year recurrence-free rates were 80.5%, 66.5%, and 57.1%, respectively, and the one-, two-, and five-year and overall survival rates were 90.3%, 82.5%, and 82.5%, respectively.

Conclusions

We showed significant reductions in recurrence-free and overall survival within the first two years after surgical resection. Further prospective studies are needed to explore predictors.

• cancer-specific outcome
• colo rectal cancer
• colon cancer recurrence
• colon disease
• non metastatic colo-rectal

• Colon cancer
• Nostoc commune Vauch.
• Re-WSP1
• microRNA-539
• β-catenin

• Colorectal cancer
• Long-term survivors
• Prognostic factors
• Survival analysis
• Survival rate

• Aged
• Colorectal Neoplasms/epidemiology
• Colorectal Neoplasms/mortality
• Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology
• Colorectal Neoplasms/therapy
• Combined Modality Therapy
• Female
• Follow-Up Studies
• Humans
• Iran/epidemiology
• Male
• Models, Statistical
• Prognosis
• Retrospective Studies
• Risk Factors
• Survival Rate

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most well-known malignancies with high prevalence and poor 5-year survival. Previous studies have demonstrated that a high-fat diet (HFD) is capable of increasing the odds of developing CRC. Acrolein, an IARC group 2A carcinogen, can be formed from carbohydrates, vegetable oils, animal fats, and amino acids through the Maillard reaction during the preparation of foods. Consequently, humans are at risk of acrolein exposure through the consumption of foods rich in fat. However, whether acrolein contributes to HFD-induced CRC has not been determined. In this study, we found that acrolein induced oncogenic transformation, including faster cell cycling, proliferation, soft agar formation, sphere formation and cell migration, in NIH/3T3 cells. Using xenograft tumorigenicity assays, the acrolein-transformed NIH/3T3 clone formed tumors. In addition, cDNA microarray and bioinformatics studies by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis pointed to the fact that RAS/MAPK pathway was activated in acrolein-transformed clones that contributed to colon tumorigenesis. Furthermore, acrolein-induced DNA damages (Acr-dG adducts) were higher in CRC tumor tissues than in normal epithelial cells in CRC patients. Notably, CRC patients with higher levels of Acr-dG adducts appeared to have better prognosis. The results of this study demonstrate for the first time that acrolein is important in oncogenic transformation through activation of the RAS/MAPK signaling pathway, contributing to colon tumorigenesis.

• MR/P015476/1 Medical Research Council

• Gastrointestinal cancers
• Iran
• Mortality rate
• Projection
• Trend

• Adult
• Aged
• Colonic Neoplasms/mortality
• Esophageal Neoplasms/mortality
• Female
• Forecasting
• Gallbladder Neoplasms/mortality
• Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/mortality
• Humans
• Iran/epidemiology
• Liver Neoplasms/mortality
• Male
• Markov Chains
• Middle Aged
• Monte Carlo Method
• Mortality, Premature/trends
• Pancreatic Neoplasms/mortality
• Rectal Neoplasms/mortality
• Sex Distribution
• Space-Time Clustering
• Stomach Neoplasms/mortality

• 95000109 Kerman University of Medical Sciences

• Biological markers
• Colorectal carcinomas
• Screening
• Survival

• Aged
• Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism
• Colorectal Neoplasms/diagnosis
• Colorectal Neoplasms/epidemiology
• Colorectal Neoplasms/metabolism
• Early Detection of Cancer/methods
• Female
• Follow-Up Studies
• Humans
• Immunohistochemistry
• Incidence
• Male
• Mass Screening
• Middle Aged
• Neoplasm Staging
• Prospective Studies
• Spain/epidemiology
• Survival Rate/trends

• CRC
• MetS
• colon cancer
• colorectal adenoma
• metabolic syndrome

• Bracco SpA, Milan, Italy

• Colorectal cancer (CRC)
• Sri Lanka
• low-middle income country
• risk prediction model
• validation

Dietary fat intake is associated with the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC); however, the results of epidemiological studies on this are controversial. Therefore, this study aimed to summarize the available scientific evidence regarding the association between dietary fat and the risk of CRC. We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane library for articles related to dietary fat and the risk of CRC. The summary relative risks with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated via a random effect model. Begg’s test was used to detect publication bias. A total of 18 articles were identified. The pooled relative risk with 95% CI for the risk of CRC were 1.00 (95% CI: 0.90–1.12), 0.97 (95% CI: 0.86–1.10), 1.08 (95% CI: 0.92–1.26), and 0.99 (95% CI: 0.93–1.04) for total fat, saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, and polyunsaturated fatty acid, respectively. No significant associations were found in subgroup analyses. Begg’s test for all exposures revealed no publication bias (total fat, p = 0.3; saturated fatty acid, p = 0.1; monounsaturated fatty acid, p = 0.08; polyunsaturated fatty acid, p = 0.2). The studies included in this review and meta-analysis revealed that dietary fats and fatty acids had no effects on the risk of CRC.

• colorectal neoplasms
• dietary fats
• fatty acids
• meta-analysis
• systematic review

• Colorectal Neoplasms/epidemiology
• Diet/statistics & numerical data
• Dietary Fats
• Humans

• Apoptosis-associated speck-like protein
• Caspase-1
• Interleukin-1β
• Nod-like receptor protein 3

• Animals
• Apoptosis
• Humans
• Inflammasomes/metabolism
• Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins/chemistry
• Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins/metabolism
• Interleukin-1beta/metabolism
• Models, Biological
• NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/chemistry
• NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism
• Neoplasms/metabolism
• Neoplasms/pathology
• Protein Multimerization
• Receptors, Pattern Recognition/chemistry
• Receptors, Pattern Recognition/metabolism
• Structure-Activity Relationship

• AKT
• IL-8
• MEHP
• cancer stem cells
• colorectal cancer
• β-catenin

• Animals
• Cell Movement/drug effects
• Colorectal Neoplasms/etiology
• Colorectal Neoplasms/genetics
• Colorectal Neoplasms/metabolism
• Colorectal Neoplasms/physiopathology
• Diethylhexyl Phthalate/toxicity
• Humans
• Interleukin-8/genetics
• Interleukin-8/metabolism
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Plasticizers/toxicity
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism
• beta Catenin/genetics
• beta Catenin/metabolism

Dietary interventions to manipulate the human gut microbiome for improved health have received increasing attention. However, their design has been limited by a lack of understanding of the quantitative impact of diet on a host’s microbiota. We present a highly controlled diet perturbation experiment in a healthy, human cohort in which individual micronutrients are spiked in against a standardized background. We identify strong and predictable responses of specific microbes across participants consuming prebiotic spike-ins, at the level of both strains and functional genes, suggesting fine-scale resource partitioning in the human gut. No predictable responses to non-prebiotic micronutrients were found. Surprisingly, we did not observe decreases in day-to-day variability of the microbiota compared to a complex, varying diet, and instead found evidence of diet-induced stress and an associated loss of biodiversity. Our data offer insights into the effect of a low complexity diet on the gut microbiome, and suggest that effective personalized dietary interventions will rely on functional, strain-level characterization of a patient’s microbiota.

• colorectal cancer
• dinner-to-bed time
• post-dinner walk
• sleep duration

• Adult
• Aged
• Case-Control Studies
• Colorectal Neoplasms/etiology
• Female
• Humans
• Logistic Models
• Male
• Meals/physiology
• Middle Aged
• Odds Ratio
• Postprandial Period/physiology
• Risk Factors
• Sleep/physiology
• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Time Factors
• Walking/physiology

• Colorectal cancer
• Genome-wide association study
• Metabochip array
• Multiethnic Cohort
• SNP set analysis

Colonoscopy procedures are commonly performed and have high success rates. However, poor or inadequate bowel preparation is one of the most common reasons for a repeated or failed colonoscopy. We therefore performed an observational study followed by propensity score modeling to evaluate and compare the quality of bowel preparation with the use of Aquanet bowel cleansing devices (BCDs) versus the use of oral sodium picosulfate solution.

We performed a prospective cross-sectional study to compare the quality of pre-endoscopic bowel preparation using a BCD with oral solution. Our major outcome of interest was the quality of bowel preparation as measured through the Boston bowel preparation (BBP) scale. Our main predictor was the method of bowel preparation. The bowel was prepared using either sodium picosulfate or the BCD.

A total of 314 participants were part of this study. The average age of the participants was 54 years and most of the participants were females (81%). Sodium picosulfate was associated with better scores at each segment. After propensity scoring with a 1:1 match and further adjusting for the unbalanced variable (age), we found that despite the apparent superior cleansing performance of sodium picosulfate over the BCD, the difference was not statistically significant.

This study reinforces previous reports regarding the quality, safety and comfort of BCDs, indicating that this technique should be considered for colonoscopy preparation. In the future, randomized controlled trials should be performed to validate these preliminary findings.

• Aquanet
• Bowel cleansing
• Clinical study
• Propensity score
• Sodium picosulfate

• Aged
• Codon/genetics
• Colorectal Neoplasms/genetics
• Conserved Sequence
• DNA Mutational Analysis
• Exons/genetics
• Female
• Greece
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Mutation/genetics
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf/genetics
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)/genetics

• adipokines
• colorectal cancer
• leptin
• obesity
• zinc-α2-glycoprotein

• PI3k/Akt signalling
• colorectal cancer
• extracellular vesicles
• intercellular communication

• Colorectal cancer
• Dietary
• Jordan
• Lifestyle

• Colorectal Neoplasms/prevention & control
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Feeding Behavior
• Female
• Hospitals
• Humans
• Jordan
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Obesity
• Risk Factors
• Sedentary Behavior
• Self Report
• Smoking
• Surveys and Questionnaires

• Cholecystectomy
• Colonoscopy
• Colorectal cancer screening

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and the fourth most common cause of cancer death in the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the provincial distribution of the incidence of CRC across Iran.

This epidemiologic study used data from the National Cancer Registry of Iran and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran. The average annual age-standardized rate (ASR) for the incidence of CRC was calculated for each province.

We found that adenocarcinoma (not otherwise specified) was the most common histological subtype of CRC in males and females, accounting for 81.91 and 81.95% of CRC cases, respectively. Signet ring cell carcinoma was the least prevalent subtype of CRC in males and females and accounted for 1.5 and 0.94% of CRC cases, respectively. In patients aged 45 years or older, there was a steady upward trend in the incidence of CRC, and the highest ASR of CRC incidence among both males and females was in the age group of 80-84 years, with an ASR of 144.69 per 100,000 person-years for males and 119.18 per 100,000 person-years for females. The highest incidence rates of CRC in Iran were found in the central, northern, and western provinces. Provinces in the southeast of Iran had the lowest incidence rates of CRC.

Wide geographical variation was found in the incidence of CRC across the 31 provinces of Iran. These variations must be considered for prevention and control programs for CRC, as well as for resource allocation purposes.

• Colorectal neoplasms
• Epidemiologic studies
• Incidence
• Iran
• Sex

• Iran
• colorectal cancer
• epidemiology
• morphology
• trend

Veratridine (VTD), an alkaloid derived from the Liliaceae plant shows anti-tumor effects; however, its molecular targets have not been thoroughly studied. Using a high-throughput drug screen, we found that VTD enhances transactivation of UBXN2A, resulting in upregulation of UBXN2A in the cytoplasm, where UBXN2A binds and inhibits the oncoprotein mortalin-2 (mot-2). VTD-treated cancer cells undergo cell death in UBXN2A- and mot-2-dependent manners. The cytotoxic function of VTD is grade-dependent, and the combined treatment with a sub-optimal dose of the standard chemotherapy, 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and etoposide, demonstrated a synergistic effect, resulting in higher therapeutic efficacy. VTD influences the CD44+ stem cells, possibly through UBXN2A-dependent inhibition of mot-2. The VTD-dependent expression of UBXN2A is a potential candidate for designing novel strategies for colon cancer treatment because: 1) In 50% of colon cancer patients, UBXN2A protein levels in tumor tissues are significantly lower than those in the adjacent normal tissues. 2) Cytoplasmic expression of the mot-2 protein is very low in non-cancerous cells; thus, VTD can produce tumor-specific toxicity while normal cells remain intact. 3) Finally, VTD or its modified analogs offer a valuable adjuvant chemotherapy strategy to improve the efficacy of 5-FU-based chemotherapy for colon cancer patients harboring WT-p53.

• UBXN2A
• chemotherapy
• mortalin-2
• p53
• veratridine

Chinese herbal product (CHP) is the major type of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and widely used to relief the symptom of colorectal cancer. The aim of the study was to analyze the utilization of CHP for treating patients with colorectal cancer in Taiwan. The usage of CHP, frequency of services, and prescription pattern for colorectal cancer were analyzed from a randomly sampled cohort of 1 million beneficiaries from the National Health Insurance Research Database. The odds ratios for utilization of CHP were estimated with logistic regression model. 2846 patients were newly diagnosed as colorectal cancer during 1998–2008 in the million cohort in Taiwan. 42.7% (n = 1214) of them used CHP. Colorectal cancer was the most common diagnosis coded by TCM doctor, followed by symptoms, signs, and ill-defined conditions. Costusroot and Amomum Six Gentlemen Decoction (香砂六君子湯 xiāng shā liù jūn zǐ tāng) was the most frequently prescribed formula for treating colorectal cancer. Among the top 10 most frequently prescribed CHP for treating colorectal cancer, six containing Ginseng Radix (人參, ​Panax ginseng) and two containing Astragali Radix (黃耆, Astragalus membranaceus), which are reported to have potential beneficial synergistic effects on colorectal cancer cells. CHP containing Ginseng Radix or Astragali Radix are the most frequently prescribed for colorectal cancer and their effects should be taken into account by healthcare providers.

• Chinese herbal product
• Colorectal cancer
• Costusroot and Amomum Six Gentlemen Decoction
• National health insurance research database
• Traditional Chinese medicine

Colorectal carcinomas (CRC) were initially thought to be rare in Africa including Nigeria, but recent studies have shown a reverse trend in our environment. This study is aimed to identify the clinical and pathological characteristics of CRC diagnosed between July 2006 and June 2015 in the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, and a Private Specialist Laboratory, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. All histological diagnosed cases of CRC seen in the two laboratories (University teaching and a private facility) in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom state, Nigeria during the study period were retrieved noting their bio-data, pathological and clinical variables. A total of 45 patients of age range 26-80 years with a mean of 55.9 years (SD 3.9) and a male to female ratio of 1.4:1 were seen. The two most common age groups affected in CRCs were 61-70 years (28.9%) and 51-60 years (24.4%) respectively. Majority of CRC patients were older than 40 years (86.7%) with identifiable predisposing factors being tubulo-villous adenoma (4 cases, 8.8%), villous adenoma (2 cases 4.4%), polyposis syndromes (2 cases, 4.4%) and schistosomiasis (1 case, 2.2%). Features of large intestinal obstruction were the most common presenting symptom of CRC (53.3%). Rectal bleeding, alteration in bowel habit and fecal incontinence were other symptoms, accounting for 33.3%, 8.9% and 4.4% of cases respectively. Left-sided CRCs were commoner (68.9%) with the majority appearing as annular-constricting type macroscopically (60.0%). Recto-sigmoid region was the preponderant site involved in CRC (29 cases, 64.5%). Adenocarcinoma (84.4%) was the most frequent histological subtype. Mucinous carcinoma, signet ring carcinoma and carcinoid tumor were other histologic subtypes seen in 8.9, 4.4 and 2.2% of cases respectively. The 22.0% of CRC patients presented at advanced stages of the disease. It can be concluded that majority of CRC patients were older than 40 years (86.7%) with features of intestinal obstruction (53.3%) and adenocarcinoma (84.4%) being the predominant mode of clinical presentation and histological subtype respectively.

• Colorectal carcinomas
• Nigeria
• clinicopathological characteristics

• Colorectal cancer
• Epidemiology
• Incidence
• Mortality

• Adiponectin
• Colorectal cancer
• Obesity

• Adenoma/prevention & control
• Calcium/therapeutic use
• Colorectal Neoplasms/prevention & control
• Dietary Supplements
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Vitamin D/therapeutic use
• Vitamins/therapeutic use

• colorectal cancer
• lgals3
• axin1
• aso-pcr
• pcr-rflp

• Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous/genetics
• Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous/pathology
• Adult
• Aged
• Alleles
• Axin Protein/genetics
• Blood Proteins
• Colorectal Neoplasms/genetics
• Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology
• Female
• Galectin 3/blood
• Galectin 3/genetics
• Galectins
• Gene Frequency
• Genetic Variation
• Haplotypes
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
• Wnt Signaling Pathway/genetics

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a major public concern. While conventional chemotherapeutic regimens have proved useful against advanced/metastatic diseases, progresses are to be made to effectively cure the large portion of patients not benefiting from these treatments. One direction to improve response rates is to develop chemosensitivity and resistance assays (CSRAs) efficiently assisting clinicians in treatment selection process, an already long preoccupation of oncologists and researchers. Several methods have been described to this day, none achieving yet sufficient reliability for recommended use in the clinical routine.

We led a pilot study on 19 metastatic CRC patients evaluating capacity of the Oncogramme, a standardized process using tumor ex vivo models, to provide chemosensitivity profiles and predict clinical outcome of patients receiving standard CRC chemotherapeutics. Oncogramme responses were categorized according to the method of percentiles to assess sensitivity, specificity and concordance.

We report from a primary analysis a success rate of 97.4 %, a very good sensitivity (84.6 %), a below-average specificity (33.3 %), along with a global agreement of 63.6 % and a concordance between Oncogramme results and patients’ responses (Kappa coefficient) of 0.193. A supplementary analysis, focusing on CRC patients with no treatment switch over a longer time course, demonstrated improvement in specificity and concordance.

Results establish feasibility and usefulness of the Oncogramme, prelude to a larger-scale trial. Advantages and drawbacks of the procedure are discussed, as well as the place of CSRAs within the future arsenal of methods available to clinicians to individualize treatments and improve patient prognosis.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov database, registration number: NCT02305368

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12967-016-0765-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

• Animals
• Colitis/diagnosis
• Colon/surgery
• Intestinal Mucosa/surgery
• Ischemic Preconditioning
• Liver/surgery
• Male
• Pilot Projects
• Rats, Wistar
• Surgical Procedures, Operative/methods
• Time Factors
• Treatment Outcome

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Colorectal Neoplasms/mortality
• Databases, Factual
• Europe/epidemiology
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Mortality/trends
• Retrospective Studies
• World Health Organization