MUC5AC, CEACAM7, and DUOX2 Distinguish Colitis-associated Cancer from Sporadic Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with an increased risk of colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC), which develops through inflammation-driven carcinogenesis distinct from sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC). Reliable molecular markers to differentiate CAC from CRC remain limited. This study aimed to identify genes preferentially expressed in CAC and to evaluate their potential diagnostic relevance.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Surgically resected specimens from 42 patients with UC were reviewed. RNA sequencing was performed using normal mucosa, inflamed mucosa, and cancer tissue from three patients with CAC, and compared with tissue from one patient with sporadic CRC. Candidate genes were validated at the protein level using immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

Transcriptomic analysis identified three genes - MUC5AC, CEACAM7, and DUOX2 - that were expressed at higher levels in CAC than in sporadic cancer. Immunohistochemical staining confirmed protein expression of all three markers in CAC tissues. In contrast, CEACAM7 and MUC5AC expression levels were lower in sporadic CRC. These findings indicate that the expression patterns of these genes differ between CAC and CRC.

CONCLUSION

MUC5AC, CEACAM7, and DUOX2 exhibit expression profiles in CAC distinct from those observed in sporadic CRC. Combined evaluation of these markers may assist in the differential diagnosis between CAC and CRC.