title: Natural history of human aberrant crypt foci and correlation with risk             factors for colorectal cancer.
abstract: Although aberrant crypt foci (ACF) are estimated to have potential usefulness             as a biomarker for colorectal carcinoma (CRC), this remains uncertain because             the natural history of ACF has not been well-clarified. To determine the usefulness             of ACF as a surrogate marker for CRC, it is necessary to understand the natural             history of ACF. A total of 82 subjects who underwent total colonoscopy and whose             ACF number was examined at least 2 times at Yokohama City University Hospital             were enrolled. We retrospectively evaluated the changes in the ACF number at four             different surveillance periods (6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years) and in groups             with and without colorectal neoplasms. Furthermore, we classified the subjects             into an increased ACF group and a no change/decreased ACF group, and investigated             the relationship between the changes in the ACF number and known risk factors             for CRC. No significant differences were observed in the ACF number between the             first and second observations in any surveillance period groups, and in the groups             classified according to the presence or absence of colorectal neoplasms. There             were no significant differences between the increased and no change/decreased             ACF group in terms of gender, smoking habit, current alcohol consumption, age,             BMI, HbA1c or serum triglyceride level (TG), whereas a significant difference             between the groups was observed in the serum total cholesterol level (TC) (p=0.012).             ACF are a reliable surrogate marker that are not affected by any risk factors             for adenomas or CRC, except TC, and may therefore be considered as a useful marker             in chemopreventive trials.
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Division, Yokohama City University School of                     Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidenori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohkubo
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Takuma
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Higurashi
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uchiyama
authors.forename: Kunihiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hosono
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Masataka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taguri
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakajima
mesh_terms: D058739:Aberrant Crypt Foci / Q000473:pathology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance