title: Mutant-Allele Tumor Heterogeneity Scores Correlate With Risk of Metastases in Colon Cancer.
abstract: Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, has a very broad mutational spectrum, and there is no clinically available biomarker that can predict which patients with stage II or stage III colorectal cancer will develop metastatic disease.
  
  
  
  We used a targeted next-generation sequencing approach to analyze the mutational spectra in stage II and III colon cancer patient samples.
  
  
  
  Amidst a broad range of acquired mutations and variants, we found evidence of tumor heterogeneity that distinguished the tumors in different groups. When heterogeneity was quantified using the Mutant-Allele Tumor Heterogeneity (MATH) score, there was a strong correlation between higher MATH score and risk of metastases.
  
  
  
  Measures of tumor heterogeneity might be useful biomarkers for identifying patients with colon cancer who are at risk of developing metastases. This might allow for more specific, tailored follow-up and adjuvant therapies after standard surgery.
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM; University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM. Electronic address: arajput@salud.unm.edu.
authors.forename: Ashwani
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rajput
authors.affiliation: University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM; Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM.
authors.forename: Thèrése
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bocklage
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM.
authors.forename: Alissa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Greenbaum
authors.affiliation: University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM; Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Preventive Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM.
authors.forename: Ji-Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM; Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM.
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ness
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D006801:Humans; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Biomarker; Sequencing; Stage II; Stage III; Tumor evolution