Study: Molecular Profiling May Help Predict Spread of Colorectal Cancer

Researchers at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica report that evaluating sentinal lymph nodes for a cytochemical marker increases the likelihood of detecting the spread of individual cancer cells in patients who have undergone surgery for colorectal cancer.

The researchers also report in the Archives of Surgery that molecular profiling of the primary cancer may help predict the likelihood of it spreading and aid in identification of patients who may benefit from followup therapy.

Approximately a third of colorectal cancers which do not appear to have spread to the lymph nodes recur, which suggests that current methods do not detect occult (hidden) disease.

In their study, the researchers enrolled 40 patients with early colorectal cancers.

While a conventional analysis found that cancer had spread to the lymph nodes of nine of these patients, cytokeratin immunohistochemistry staining found eight additional patients had hidden cancer cells in their sentinel lymph node.

They also found that the number of aberrant genetic changes in the primary tumor was significantly higher in patients with these hidden cancer cells.

Sentinel lymphatic mapping with cytokeratin immunohistochemistry accurately detects micrometastases in colorectal cancers, the researchers concluded.

"Molecular profiling of primary colorectal cancer tumors, similar to that used for breast cancer, may be important in predicting metastatic potential and determining which patients may benefit from adjuvant therapy," the researchers reported.

Other Sources: Archives of Surgery