In a nutshell
This study investigated the efficacy of a potential prognostic marker for colorectal cancer.
Some background
For patients with colorectal cancer, identifying the stage of tumor growth and spread can give a rough indication of prognosis. However, there is no test to predict prognosis of patients on an individual basis.
Aneuploidy refers to certain genetic abnormalities that can be present in some cancer cells. Some studies have shown that patients with aneuploid tumors have a worse prognosis than patients without aneuploid tumor cells.
Methods & findings
This study investigated the efficacy of aneuploidy as a prognostic marker for colorectal cancer. Data from 37 research papers including 9153 patients were collected and analyzed.
The tumors of late stage (stages 3 and 4) colorectal cancer patients were 1.51 times more likely to be aneuploid than tumors of early stage (stages 1 and 2) colorectal cancer patients. 54.1% of studies showed that aneuploidy had a significant prognostic impact. Between 52.9% and 60% of the 37 studies found an association between aneuploidy and a worse prognosis.
The bottom line
The authors conclude that aneuploidy could be a stage-specific prognostic marker of colorectal cancer.
The fine print
The authors suggest that further studies are required to investigate the efficacy of aneuploidy as a prognostic marker.
What’s next?
Consult your doctor if you would like to discuss prognostic tests.
Published By :
International Journal of Colorectal Disease
Date :
Jun 09, 2015
