A novel way to enhance the diagnosis of early stage of colorectal cancer through micro-computed tomography imaging

长期（bb10 - 8年）炎症性肠病（IBD）患者发生结直肠癌（CRC）的终生风险为20%。早期诊断结直肠癌是必不可少的，因为它会导致更好的治疗和生存。因此，目前对IBD患者的筛查是通过定期结肠镜检查（相机检查）和活检（组织取样）进行癌前或早期癌症阶段的诊断。尽管有监测筛查和生化测试，晚期癌症仍有报道，监测项目的价值仍存在争议。因此，为了更好的治疗和提高生存率，仍然需要可靠的早期诊断标记物。为此，我们提出了一种通过微计算机断层扫描（microCT）增强结直肠癌早期诊断的新方法：-目的1：我们将使用炎症性结直肠癌小鼠模型，在结直肠癌进展的不同时间点通过微ct对结肠进行成像。早期结直肠癌的新的显微结构标记将来自于微ct数据，如病变结构。这些微观结构标记的CRC特异性将通过与共同登记的组织学切片相互关联来测试。-目标2：我们将开发一种微ct方案，用于未经对比的结肠组织的显微结构成像，通过借鉴之前在UoS使用实验室微ct对未经对比的肺组织进行成像的工作。这与我们目前的惠康探路者奖（2016 - 2017）是一致的，我们与尼康英国计量合作，开发了第一个与现有组织病理学工作流程完全兼容的微ct系统。AIM 3：由于发育不良相关病变团块（DALM）的存在是潜在的或相关的CRC的高度指示，我们将招募参加长期（bbb8年）IBD监测筛查计划的IBD患者进行一项小型研究。DALM、非DALM和晚期CRC的显微ct结果将通过已经通过组织学获得的诊断证据进行验证，这将为显微ct成像在CRC诊断中的应用提供证据。

Patients with long-term (>8 years) inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have a 20% lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). Early diagnosis of CRC is essential as it leads to better therapy and survival. Therefore, IBD patients are currently screened by using regular surveillance colonoscopies (camera test) and biopsies (tissue sampling) for diagnosis at a pre-cancerous or early cancer stage. Despite surveillance screening and biochemical tests, advanced cancers are still reported and the value of surveillance program remains controversial. On this account, reliable markers for early diagnosis of CRC are still required for better therapy and increased survival rate.To this end, we propose a novel way to enhance the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer through micro-computed tomography (microCT):- AIM 1: We will use a mouse model for inflammatory-induced CRC to image the colon by microCT at different time points of CRC progression. New microstructural markers for early-stage CRC will be derived from microCT data, such as lesion textures. CRC specificity of these microstructural markers will be tested by cross-correlation with co-registered histological sections.- AIM 2: We will develop a microCT protocol for imaging microstructures of un-contrasted colon tissue, by adapting previous work at UoS on imaging of un-contrasted lung tissue using lab-based microCT. This is aligned with our current Wellcome Pathfinder Award (2016 - 2017), where in collaboration with Nikon Metrology UK, we develop the first microCT system that is fully compatible with existing histopathological workflows.- AIM 3: As the presence of dysplasia-associated lesion mass (DALM) is highly indicative of underlying or associated CRC, we will recruit IBD patients attending the surveillance screening program with long-term (>8 years) IBD for a small study. MicroCT results from DALM samples, non-DALM, and CRC advanced stage will be validated through proof of diagnosis, already obtained through histology, which will provide evidence for the utility of microCT imaging in CRC diagnosis.