DNA content analysis of colorectal serrated lesions detects an aneuploid subset of inflammatory bowel disease-associated serrated epithelial change and traditional serrated adenomas.

AIMS

Serrated lesions (SLs), including sessile serrated adenoma (SSA) and traditional serrated adenoma (TSA), are important premalignant lesions for colorectal cancer (CRC). Although a small subset of SLs are known to harbour TP53 mutations and Wnt/β-catenin pathway activation, suggesting that they may develop dysplasia or CRC via a 'chromosomal instability (CIN)-like' pathway, it is unclear if aneuploidy (characteristic of conventional adenoma) ever develops in SLs and is associated with development of dysplasia or CRC, in this context.

METHODS AND RESULTS

DNA flow cytometry was performed on 31 inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-associated SLs without dysplasia [including 10 non-targeted 'serrated epithelial change' (SEC), 14 SSAs and seven hyperplastic polyps (HPs)] as well as 48 dysplastic SSAs and TSAs. One (10%) of 10 SEC cases demonstrated aneuploidy and subsequently developed high-grade dysplasia (HGD) within 4 months, whereas the remaining SEC cases showed normal DNA content without evidence of dysplasia or CRC on follow-up. One (3.3%) of 30 TSAs without HGD and two (66.7%) of three TSAs with HGD also showed aneuploidy, but no patient developed CRC. By contrast, all SSAs (with or without dysplasia) and HPs showed normal DNA content, but four SSA cases still developed dysplasia or CRC on follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Unlike SSAs and HPs, a small subset of SEC and TSA cases demonstrated aneuploidy, suggesting that they can develop neoplasia via the CIN pathway. DNA content analysis of a larger number of SEC cases, with adequate follow-up, may allow for a more precise determination of aneuploidy incidence and neoplasia risk.