Research groups

[802] Multi-parametric analysis of colorectal and lymphoide tumors

mkee.jpgLarge scale next-generation sequencing projects are beginning to define the genomic landscape of a range of primary tumours. However very little is known of the mutational evolution that contributes to disease progression and particularly the development of metastasis, which, to a great extent, determines prognosis

 Colorectal cancer (CRC) is both the third most frequent form of cancer in western countries, accounting for 13% of all cases and the second largest cause of cancer death. Liver metastases in CRC are frequent, being present in 25% of patients at the time of diagnosis,developing in another 40% during the course of their clinical evolution, and detected in 85% of the patients at autopsy. In almost 40% of the patients the liver is only site of dissemination. They have a major impact on prognosis of this disease changing the 5 year survival from 30-70% for patients without metastases or with lymph node metastases to around 6% in those with metastases in the liver.

Recent advances in liver surgery have brought hope to patients with advanced CRC with complete surgical removal of metastases resulting in a 40-60% survival at 5 years. While surgery is possible in

The aim of this project is thus to obtain a comprehensive description of genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic changes in 100 matched primary and metastatic colorectal cancers and to correlate these data with proteomic and newly developed digital morphologic approaches.. This study will address the extent to which primary tumour profiling can define the biological processes operative in matched metastases as well as the significance of intratumoural heterogeneity.

In the longer term this approach will also be applied to other tumor types in particular lymphomas.

publications of the group