Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer and cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Despite advances in screening programs, accurately identifying which lesions are most likely to evolve into tumors continues to be one of the great challenges of biomedical research.
A study published in the scientific journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, with the participation of the PADO group (Oncology Data Analysis Programme) of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) in L’Hospitalet and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), provides evidence linking the ACISOGA molecule with the progression of colorectal lesions and an increased risk of developing cancer.
The study analysed samples from more than 500 people with different degrees of risk and precancerous lesions, as well as cases of already diagnosed colorectal cancer. The results indicate a clear and constant trend: the more advanced the tumour progression process, the higher the levels of this molecule in the blood.
A key molecule in the development of colorectal cancer
This new study has identified ACISOGA, a molecule related to polyamine metabolism, as a potential key biomarker in the development of colorectal cancer. The results show that ACISOGA levels increase progressively from people without lesions to patients with colorectal cancer, suggesting that it could be a useful tool to improve risk assessment.
The research analyzed serum samples from 513 participants, including healthy people, individuals with colorectal lesions of varying risk, and colorectal cancer patients. Using advanced metabolomics techniques, the researchers studied more than 1,500 metabolic characteristics and identified ACISOGA as the metabolite with the most consistent association with disease progression.
To bolster the results, the team validated the findings in an independent cohort of more than 1,100 participants from the European EPIC study. In addition, they combined this data with genetic analyses that identified several regions of the genome related to ACISOGA levels. The analyses showed that people with a genetic predisposition to have higher levels of this molecule also had an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer.
One more tool for prevention and early detection strategies
The results provide solid evidence, based on both metabolic and genetic data, that place ACISOGA as a possible biological indicator of colorectal cancer risk. According to the researcher at ICO l’Hospitalet and IDIBELL and first author of the study, Blanca Rius-Sansalvador, “This knowledge could contribute in the future to developing more accurate tools to identify people at higher risk and strengthen prevention and early detection strategies.”
On the other hand, Mireia Obón-Santacana, lead author of the study, highlights that “this study is especially relevant because it integrates different levels of independent evidence – metabolomics, genetics and external validation in a large European cohort – that point in the same direction. This coherence reinforces the role of ACISOGA in the progression of colorectal cancer and helps us to better understand the biological mechanisms involved in the development of the disease”.
However, the authors of this study agree that more research is needed before this biomarker can be incorporated into clinical practice, “but the results open up a very promising avenue to improve the early identification of people at higher risk and, potentially, move towards more personalized prevention strategies,” they both say.
The study concludes that ACISOGA could become a circulating marker of interest for research on colorectal cancer risk and reinforces the value of combining metabolomic and genetic data to advance in the fight against one of the oncological diseases with the greatest impact on public health.
The Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) is a research centre created in 2004 specialising in cancer, neurosciences, translational medicine and regenerative medicine. It has a team of more than 1,500 professionals who, from 73 research groups, publish more than 1,400 scientific articles a year. IDIBELL has the support of the Bellvitge University Hospital and the Viladecans Hospital of the Catalan Institute of Health, the Catalan Institute of Oncology, the University of Barcelona and the City Council of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.
IDIBELL is a member of the Campus of International Excellence of the HUBc of the University of Barcelona and of the CERCA institution of the Generalitat de Catalunya. In 2009 it became one of the first five Spanish research centers accredited as a health research institute by the Carlos III Health Institute. In addition, it is part of the Excellence in HR Research program of the European Union and is a member of EATRIS and REGIC. Since 2018, IDIBELL has been an Accredited Center of the AECC Scientific Foundation (FCAECC).