Novel Model to Predict Survival in Colorectal Cancer

Hybrid signatures based on patterns of DNA mutation and RNA expression have been developed by a group of researchers to assess its predictive properties for the mutation status and survival of colorectal cancer patients.

The research //results are published in the journal Current Bioinformatics.

Steep Rise in Colorectal Cancer in Younger Patients
Colorectal cancer is on the rise in persons under 50 years, often found with advanced disease at diagnosis. The reasons for this are unclear and more research is needed to get answers so that timely interventions can be taken to prevent colorectal cancer.

‘The hybrid gene list had the highest accuracy for mutation status and survival in colorectal cancer patients. Nine genes are predictive of survival. The signature could be useful in clinical practice, in colorectal cancer diagnosis and therapy.’
Read More..

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the USA. Recent studies have shown an increase in incidence in less developed regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa.

The research team investigated publicly- available microarray and RNASeq data from 54 samples from the Affymetrix GeneChip and RNASeq platforms.

Information about differently expressed genes between mutant and wild-type samples were obtained from the 54 samples.

Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month � Time to Get Screened
The month of March every year is dedicated to Colorectal Cancer Awareness and the emphasis is on getting screened and knowing how to prevent and fight colon cancer.

The researchers then applied various bioinformatics techniques for classification and survival analysis.

The researchers found that the hybrid gene list had the highest accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, and AUC for mutation status, across all classifiers. It is prognostic for survival in patients with colorectal cancer.

Detecting Lynch Syndrome Among Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Patients
Up-front tumor sequencing in colorectal cancer is simpler and has superior sensitivity to current multitest approaches to Lynch syndrome screening, while simultaneously providing critical information for treatment selection.

The researchers concluded that nine genes were found to be predictive of survival in colorectal cancer patients.

"This signature could be useful in clinical practice, especially for colorectal cancer diagnosis and therapy." - said Mohammed.

Can Consuming Milk Cause More Harm Than Good?
Health benefits of high intake of milk products have not been established and concerns exist about the dangers of possible adverse health outcomes.

Source-Medindia