Distinct chromosomal profiles in metastasizing and non-metastasizing colorectal carcinomas.
BACKGROUND
The prognosis of colorectal cancer patients is to a considerable extent determined by the metastatic potency of the primary tumor. However, despite the fact that liver metastases are the leading cause of death for cancer patients, the molecular basis still remains poorly understood and independent prognostic markers have not been established.


METHODS
Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) was used to screen colorectal carcinomas without distant metastases (n=18) and carcinomas synchronously metastatic to the liver (n=18). We aimed to detect distinct chromosomal aberrations indicating a metastatic phenotype.


CONCLUSIONS
Metastatic tumors exhibited a significantly (P=0.03) higher ANCA value (13.8) if compared with non-metastatic cancers (10.0). Furthermore, we observed that losses of chromosomal regions 1p32-ter and 9q33-ter were present at much higher frequencies in metastatic than in non-metastatic cancers, respectively (P=0.02 and 0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
These data indicate that metastatic tumors may be separated from non-metastatic colorectal cancers based on their genomic profile.
Ghadimi
B Michael
BM
Department of General Surgery, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany. mghadim@uni-goettingen.de
Grade
Marian
M
Mönkemeyer
Carsten
C
Kulle
Bettina
B
Gaedcke
Jochen
J
Gunawan
Bastian
B
Langer
Claus
C
Liersch
Torsten
T
Becker
Heinz
H
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D002878:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 1 / Q000235:genetics*; D002899:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9 / Q000235:genetics*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000556:secondary*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged