Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 25, 2026
Deficient Pms2, ERCC1, Ku86, CcOI in Field Defects During Progression to Colon Cancer
Published on: July 28, 2010
Colorectal cancer in colonic Crohn's disease--high frequency of DNA-aneuploidy
U Sjöqvist1, R Befrits, S Söderlund
1Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Söder Hospital, Sweden. u.sjqvist@telia.com
Background:
The risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in colonic Crohn's disease (CCD) seems to be of the same magnitude as in extensive, longstanding ulcerative colitis (UC) and colonoscopic surveillance has been advocated. Mucosal dysplasia and DNA-aneuploidy are early warning markers of malignant transformation in UC. Data concerning the occurrence of such premalignant lesions in CCD are scarce.
Aims:
The objective of this study was to investigate the DNA ploidy pattern in CCD-patients with manifest CRC, both in the tumour, as well as in the adjacent and distant colorectal mucosa. The results from DNA-flow cytometry analyses (FCM) prior to the development of a CRC in CCD were also investigated.
Materials And Methods:
Biopsies obtained at colonoscopy and surgical specimens from 43 patients with colonic or ileocolonic CD developing CRC between 1988 and 1998 were reviewed. The CRC histological phenotype, and the occurrence of dysplasia were registered. CRC-tissue and tissue from areas with dysplasia adjacent to and/or distant from the tumour were obtained from paraffin-embedded blocks and were analysed by FCM after preparation.
Results:
Twenty-four CRCs in 21 patients (14 men) were suitable for FCM-analyses. The median age at CRC-diagnosis was 53 years (21-73) and the median CCD-duration was 14.5 years (1-50). A predominance of CRC was found either in the cecum (9124) or in the rectum (7/24). DNA-aneuploidy was found in 62.5% (15/24) of the tumours, in 25% (2/8) in adjacent and/or distant mucosa, and in 50% (2/4) of the patients that had been subjected to colonoscopic surveillance prior to the CRC-diagnosis. In 7patients (29%), definite dysplasia was detected adjacent to andlor distant from the tumour. Of the 6 patients undergoing colonoscopic surveillance, 3 (50%) displayed definite dysplasia prior to the colectomy.
Conclusion:
Since DNA- aneuploidy is a' common feature in CRCs in CCD and precede the development of invasive carcinoma, inclusion of FCM-analyses of colorectal biopsies may enhance the sensitivity of identifying high-risk CCD-patients prone to develop CRC within the frame of colonoscopic surveillance programs.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Nondisjunction
01:27Inflammatory Bowel Disease I: Ulcerative Colitis
Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, encompasses a group of disorders characterized by chronic inflammation or ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract.
Risk Factors
The exact cause of IBD remains unclear, although it is believed to be due to a mix of genetic, environmental, microbial, and immune factors. Genetic factors are significant in determining susceptibility to IBD, with family history being a critical risk factor. Individuals with a first-degree relative who has IBD are at...
01:30Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Crohn's Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease, commonly known as IBD, refers to a collection of disorders that lead to persistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The two types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which impacts the colon, and Crohn's disease, which can involve any part of the gastrointestinal segment.
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a chronic, systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that predominantly affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is marked by transmural...
01:26Inflammatory Bowel Disease I: Introduction
01:25Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Crohn's Disease
01:20Inflammatory Bowel Disease IV: Clinical Manifestations