Circulating DNA as a Strong Multimarker Prognostic Tool for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patient Management Care.

Purpose: Circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) is a valuable source of tumor material obtained from a simple blood sampling that enables noninvasive analysis of the tumor genome. Our goal was to carry out a multiparametric analysis of ccfDNA and evaluate its prognostic value by investigating the overall survival (OS) of 97 metastatic colorectal cancer patients (mCRC).

Experimental Design: Qualitative parameters (determination of the main KRAS exon2 and BRAF V600E mutations) and quantitative parameters (total ccfDNA concentration, mutant ccfDNA concentration, the proportion of mutant ccfDNA, and ccfDNA integrity index) were determined simultaneously in a single run using a unique Q-PCR multimarker approach (100% success rate).

Chemotherapy outcome predictive effectiveness by the Oncogramme: pilot trial on stage-IV colorectal cancer.

Background: 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.

Clinical validation of the detection of KRAS and BRAF mutations from circulating tumor DNA.

Assessment of KRAS status is mandatory in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) before applying targeted therapy. We describe here a blinded prospective study to compare KRAS and BRAF mutation status data obtained from the analysis of tumor tissue by routine gold-standard methods and of plasma DNA using a quantitative PCR-based method specifically designed to analyze circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA). The mutation status was determined by both methods from 106 patient samples.

Implications of cleaved caspase 3 and AIF expression in colorectal cancer based on patient age.

A high incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been established in the elderly population. Apoptosis is a key event in maintaining colon homeostasis, both in aging as well as in cancer prevention. Here, we report that colon morphology is affected during the aging process: crypt loss (P=0.

Expression of p53 and DR5 in normal and malignant tissues of colorectal cancer: correlation with advanced stages.

Apoptosis has to be drastically controlled in organs with important cell turnover such as the colon. Deregulation of this process is often present in tumor progression. Tissues of 82 patients treated for colorectal cancer (CRC) were analyzed using antibodies against AIF, p53, DR4, DR5, cleaved caspase-3 and the TUNEL method to detect apoptosis; whereas staining of Ki-67 was used as a proliferation marker.

Retinoid acid receptors in human colorectal cancer: An unexpected link with patient outcome.

The status of the three retinoic acid receptors (RARs) α, β and γ in human colorectal cancer (CRC) has not as yet been examined. RARs are in part responsible for the actions of the retinoids (vitamin A and its derivatives), which are essential for human health and survival due to their extensive involvement in numerous cellular processes, in particular in epithelial morphology. The present study examined the expression of the three RARs in CRC using immunohistochemical analysis of paraffin-embedded tissue sections.