Endoscopic criteria and promising biomarkers for serrated adenomas of the colon (literature review)

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of death from cancer in many countries of the world, both in men and women, and these rates are on the rise. The probability of suffering from CRC is about 4–5 % and the risk for developing CRC is associated with personal features or habits such as age, chronic disease history and lifestyle, but in most cases colorectal cancer develops as a result of the degeneration of adenomatous formations or along the jagged path. Immune dysregulation, dysbiosis, and epithelial destruction contribute to colorectal cancer carcinogenesis. The gut microbiota has a relevant role, and dysbiosis situations can induce colonic carcinogenesis through a chronic inflammation mechanism. Some of the bacteria responsible for this multiphase process include Fusobacterium spp., Bacteroides fragilis and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. moreover, CRC is caused by mutations that target oncogenes, tumour suppressor genes and genes related to DNA repair mechanisms.Considering that the average time for the development of adenocarcinoma from precancer takes about 10 years, changes in the microbiota can be a prospective marker for screening precancerous conditions of the colon, as well as the detection of changes in DNA.The work will discuss the relationship between changes in the microbial composition of the colon with the genetic mutations identified by molecular genetic sequencing.