Introduction :
Early colorectal cancer screening increasingly identifies superficial colonic lesions, but current diagnostic tools often fail to accurately distinguish benign from malignant lesions or to predict lymph node involvement. As histological criteria have limited predictive value, many patients with T1 tumors undergo unnecessary surgery. Liquid biopsy, based on circulating blood biomarkers, offers a promising non-invasive alternative that may improve diagnostic precision.
Aim :
The study aims to build a biobank of 1,000 patients with superficial colonic tumors to identify and validate circulating biomarker signatures capable of predicting tumor malignancy and lymph node status. The hypothesis is that liquid biopsy markers can reliably differentiate benign from malignant lesions and identify patients at risk of lymph node metastasis.
Methods :
This is a multicenter prospective cohort study embedded in the FECCo cohort. Blood samples will be collected at the time of endoscopic resection and, for pT1 lesions, again 2-6 weeks later. Clinical data will be retrieved annually from the FECCo database. Diagnostic performance of circulating biomarkers will be assessed using ROC curves, logistic regression (Lasso), and bootstrap validation to identify signatures associated with malignancy and lymph node involvement.
