A pilot study on faecal MMP-9: a new noninvasive diagnostic marker of colorectal cancer

• Published in: British journal of cancer Vol. 114; no. 7; pp. 787 - 792
• Main Authors: Annaházi, Anita, Ábrahám, Szabolcs, Farkas, Klaudia, Rosztóczy, András, Inczefi, Orsolya, Földesi, Imre, Szűcs, Mónika, Rutka, Mariann, Theodorou, Vassilia, Eutamene, Helene, Bueno, Lionel, Lázár, György, Wittmann, Tibor, Molnár, Tamás, Róka, Richárd
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 29-03-2016; Nature Publishing Group; Cancer Research UK
• Subjects: 631/45/607/1164; 692/53/2421; 692/699/67/1504/1885; Adenoma - diagnosis; Adenoma - enzymology; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biomarkers, Tumor; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Biopsy; Blood tests; Cancer Research; Colonoscopy; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal Neoplasms - diagnosis; Colorectal Neoplasms - enzymology; Drug Resistance; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epidemiology; Feces - enzymology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Hemoglobin; Histology; Humans; Inflammatory bowel disease; Life Sciences; Male; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 - metabolism; Middle Aged; Molecular Medicine; Neoplasm Staging; Oncology; Patients; Pilot Projects; Polyps; Prognosis; ROC Curve; Translational Therapeutics; Tumors; Hungary; colorectal cancer; matrix-metalloprotease-9; noninvasive diagnostic marker
• ISSN: 0007-0920; 1532-1827
• DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2016.31

Background:
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading malignancies worldwide, therefore cheap noninvasive screening methods are of great importance. Matrix-metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) has a role in the progression of CRC, and its level is elevated in tumour biopsies. Faecal MMP-9 levels are increased in active ulcerative colitis patients, but in CRC patients, they have never been measured. We aimed to assess the faecal MMP-9 levels in patients undergoing total colonoscopy according to endoscopic and histological diagnosis.
Methods:
One hundred and nine patients provided faecal samples for MMP-9 analysis. A total colonoscopy was performed; suspicious lesions were evaluated by histology. Faecal MMP-9 levels were measured by ELISA.
Results:
The number of patients allocated to different groups were: negative/diverticulosis: 34 (referred to as controls); hyperplastic polyps: 15; adenomas: 32 (22 at high risk); and CRC: 28. Faecal MMP-9 was significantly increased in CRC compared with all other groups (
P
<0.001). Faecal MMP-9 was suitable to distinguish CRC patients from controls (sensitivity: 89.3%; specificity: 91.2%). By means of a lower cutoff level, faecal MMP-9 identified high-risk adenomas besides CRC (sensitivity: 76%; specificity: 85.3%). This lower cutoff level screened 59% of high-risk adenomas.
Conclusions:
Faecal MMP-9 may be a promising new noninvasive marker in CRC.