Background: The gold standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer is total mesorectal excision after preoperative chemoradiotherapy. Response to chemoradiotherapy varies, with some patients completely responding to the treatment and some failing to respond at all. Identifying biomarkers of response to chemoradiotherapy could allow patients to avoid unnecessary treatment-associated morbidity rate. While previous studies have attempted to identify such biomarkers, none have reached clinical utility, which may be due to heterogeneity of the cancer. In this study, potential human gene and microbial biomarkers were explored in a cohort of rectal cancer patients who underwent chemoradiotherapy.
Methods: RNA sequencing was carried out on matched tumour and adjacent normal rectum biopsies from patients with rectal cancer with varying chemoradiotherapy responses treated between 2016 and 2019 at two institutions. Enriched genes and microbes from tumours of complete responders were compared with those from tumours of others with lesser response.
Results: In 39 patients analysed, enriched gene sets in complete responders indicate involvement of immune responses, including immunoglobulin production, B cell activation and response to bacteria (adjusted P values <0.050). Bacteria such as Ruminococcaceae bacterium and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron were documented to be abundant in tumours of complete responders compared with all other patients (adjusted P value <0.100).
Conclusion: These results identify potential genetic and microbial biomarkers of response to chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer, as well as suggesting a potential mechanism of complete response to chemoradiotherapy that may benefit further testing in the laboratory.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjsopen/zrad035 | DOI Listing |
Am J Gastroenterol
December 2024
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Objectives: To prevent colorectal cancer (CRC), most patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) undergo (procto)colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis (IRA) or ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA). After surgery, these patients remain at risk of developing cancer in the remnant rectum or rectal cuff/pouch. We aimed to compare the long-term risk of cancer following IRA or IPAA in FAP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Background: Risk of anal cancer is high in certain populations and screening involves collection of anal swabs for HPV DNA and/or cytology testing. However, barriers exist, such as the need for an intimate examination, and stigma around HIV status, sexual orientation, and sexual practices. Self-collected anal swabs (SCA) are a proposed alternative to clinician-collected swabs (CCA) to overcome these barriers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBJS Open
December 2024
Unit of Hereditary Digestive Tract Tumours, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumouri, Milan, Italy.
Background: Familial adenomatous polyposis is a cancer-predisposing syndrome caused by germline pathogenic variants of the adenomatous polyposis coli gene, leading to numerous colorectal polyps and a high risk of colorectal cancer. Desmoid tumours have become significant in the management of familial adenomatous polyposis after a colectomy, yet the exact incidence remains undetermined due to a lack of dedicated surveillance.
Methods: This retrospective study accessed data from the prospectively maintained Hereditary Digestive Tumours Registry from 2000 to 2023.
Psychol Trauma
January 2025
Department of Psychology, University of Turin.
Objective: This exploratory prospective cohort study aimed to investigate the trajectory of psychological distress and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in rectal cancer patients from diagnosis to follow-up and to explore factors that could predict PTG and psychological distress at follow-up.
Method: We assessed psychological distress (anxiety and depression), PTG, physical symptoms, quality of life, cancer-related coping, state and trait affectivity, resilience, and alexithymia in 43 rectal cancer patients, ) age: 61.6 (12.
Alzheimers Dement
December 2024
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Introduction: Colonoscopies are routine procedures performed primarily on adults over the age of 50; however, there is little known about the influence of social determinants of health on successful completion of colonoscopies. Inadequate at-home bowel preparation can result in increased procedure duration, decreased cancer detection, and may necessitate a repeated colonoscopy, putting undue stress on the patient. Research suggests neurocognitive disorder is a risk factor for poor bowel preparation in older adults; however, lower education may confound neurocognitive findings, independently contributing to risk of incomplete colonoscopies.
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