Haining City and Jiashan County in Zhejiang Province are the first areas to carry out colorectal cancer screening in China, which started in the early 1970s and has been going on for more than 40 years. Meanwhile, Haining and Jiashan have also become the first batch of National Demonstration Bases for Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Colorectal Cancer. In the past 40 years, owing to Professor Zheng Shu who is brave and innovative, with an indomitable spirit, as well as the unremitting efforts and active exploration of all the team members, colorectal cancer screening which was unknown by the public and implemented with difficulties, has gradually been widely accepted and benefited the population. Today, remarkable achievements have been fulfilled in the colorectal cancer screening of Haining and Jiashan which has become the pioneer power in promoting the progress of colorectal cancer prevention and control in China and has certain influence both on China and the world. Meanwhile, a set of colorectal cancer screening strategies suitable for China has been explored and further promoted to be used nationwide, which is of great significance to the prevention and control of colorectal cancer in China. Looking forward to the future, the prevention and control of colorectal cancer in China is still difficult. We will continue to give full play to our existing advantages, not forget our original intention, move forward, explore innovation, and create greater glories!
China/epidemiology* ; Colonic Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Colorectal Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Early Detection of Cancer/statistics & numerical data* ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; Mass Screening/methods* ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data*

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in China. In recent years, the incidence and mortality of CRC in China have been on the rise. According to the China cancer statistics report in 2018, the incidence and mortality of CRC in China ranked the third and fifth among all malignant tumors, with 376,000 new cases and 191,000 deaths. China has become the country with the highest number of new cases and deaths of CRC every year in the world, which seriously threatens the health of Chinese residents. In 2010, the National Ministry of Health organized colorectal cancer expertise of the Chinese Medical Association to write the Chinese Protocol of Diagnosis and Treatment of Colorectal Cancer (2010 edition) and publish it publicly. Since 2010, the National Health and Family Planning Commission has organized experts to revise the protocol in 2015 and 2017, while the National Health Commission revised it in 2020. The revised part of Chinese Protocol of Diagnosis and Treatment of Colorectal Cancer (2020 edition) involves new progress in the field of imaging examination, pathological evaluation, surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The 2020 edition of the protocol not only referred to the contents of the international guidelines, but also combined with the specific national conditions and clinical practice in China, and also included many evidence-based clinical data in China recently. The 2020 edition of the protocol would further promote the standardization of diagnosis and treatment of CRC in China, improve the survival and prognosis of patients, and benefit millions of CRC patients and their families.
China ; epidemiology ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Humans ; Practice Guidelines as Topic

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors, and its incidence and mortality are increasing year by year in China. In 2018, for the first time, the FIT-DNA test was written into the expert consensus as the recommended screening technology in China. As the core technology of colorectal cancer screening, colonoscopy for right colon cancer is further supported. With the application of artificial intelligence technology in colonoscopy, the efficiency and accuracy of screening will be greatly improved. New screening technologies represented by circulating tumor cell (CTC) and individualized screening programs based on molecular genetics are future directions. As the core of colorectal cancer treatment, surgery has become quite mature. Traditional laparoscopic surgery has become an optimal choice for colorectal cancer surgery. Open surgery, robotic surgery and single-incision laparoscopic surgery have not been found superior to multiport laparoscopic surgery. The focus of surgical research is to precisely select surgical methods, and to protect normal physiological function of patients. For example, in order to reduce complications and improve quality of life in patients undergoing rectal cancer surgery after neoadjuvant radiotherapy, the "Tianhe surgery" was invented by the authors' team. Chemotherapy as the basis of colorectal cancer treatment has shown good results in many aspects: The PRODIGE-7 trial has confirmed that systemic chemotherapy is more important for colorectal peritoneal metastasis after high quality cytoreductive surgery (CRS). While the addition of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) with oxaliplatin does not result in the better overall survival (OS), but increases the risk of postoperative complications. The FOWARC study has found that the FOLFOX regimen (oxaliplatin and fluorouracil) achieved a 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate similar to that of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, challenging the clinical value of radiotherapy. Although several studies have confirmed that total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) can improve pathological complete response (pCR) rate and DFS of patients with colorectal cancer, we do not recommend unretricted expansion of chemotherapy. How to combine the clinical characteristics and molecular biological markers to select high-risk groups for chemotherapy, and how to use personalized medicine according to the genetic characteristics of patients, are also hot spots of current research. Immunotherapy is a game-changer in all aspects of colorectal cancer. In order to adapt to the immune therapy, the efficacy evaluation standard of solid tumors (iRECIST) has been revised. Immune score could redefine tumor clinical staging system. Both the Checkmate-142 study for advanced tumors and the NCT03026140 study on neoadjuvant treatment for early tumors showed promising results. Although no significant progress has been seen in the EGFR-targeted therapy and VEGFR-targeted therapy, new targeted drugs such as Eltanexor (ETLA, kpt -8602) and cobimetinib (MEK inhibitor) have been found to be effective in clinical studies. According to the detection results of tumor-related signaling pathways in patients, cross-guidance selection of targeted drug therapy is also the direction of research. Although the IWWD research results give a big blow to the "watch and wait" strategy, with the exploration of TNT plan, more accurate imaging efficacy evaluation and the application of immunotherapy, the "watch and wait" strategy will also receive new attention. In recent years, we have seen the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology. Although it is still in the exploratory stage in the field of medicine, it will certainly reshape all aspects of colorectal cancer diagnosis and treatment in the future, leading the research direction.
China ; epidemiology ; Clinical Trials as Topic ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Early Detection of Cancer ; methods ; Humans

Robust identification of genetic alterations is important for the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of tumors. Screening for genetic alterations using tumor tissue samples may lead to biased interpretations because of the heterogeneous nature of the tumor mass. Liquid biopsy has been suggested as an attractive tool for the non-invasive follow-up of cancer treatment outcomes. In this study, we aimed to verify whether the mutations identified in primary tumor tissue samples could be consistently detected in plasma cell–free DNA (cfDNA) by digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR). We first examined the genetic alteration profiles of three colorectal cancer (CRC) tissue samples by targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) and identified 11 non-silent amino acid changes across six cancer-related genes (APC, KRAS, TP53, TERT, ARIDIA, and BRCA1). All three samples had KRAS mutations (G12V, G12C, and G13D), which were well-known driver events. Therefore, we examined the KRAS mutations by dPCR. When we examined the three KRAS mutations by dPCR using tumor tissue samples, all of them were consistently detected and the variant allele frequencies (VAFs) of the mutations were almost identical between targeted NGS and dPCR. When we examined the KRAS mutations using the plasma cfDNA of the three CRC patients by dPCR, all three mutations were consistently identified. However, the VAFs were lower (range, 0.166% to 2.638%) than those obtained using the CRC tissue samples. In conclusion, we confirmed that the KRAS mutations identified from CRC tumor tissue samples were consistently detected in the plasma cfDNA of the three CRC patients by dPCR.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Biopsy ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Diagnosis ; DNA ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gene Frequency ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Plasma ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo determine the detection rate and distribution characteristics of colorectal adenomas in Ningbo area of China, and to identify the risk factors for colorectal adenoma, in order to provide reference for colorectal cancer screening.

METHODSA cross-sectional study was performed among 8660 subjects undergoing colonoscopy in the Ningbo No.2 Hospital between January and December 2016, using a questionnaire, including demographic data (age, gender, height and weight), history of diseases (diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and family history of malignant neoplasm), lifestyle (smoking, alcohol, dietary bias on red meat, dietary bias on fruit and vegetables, dietary frequency of pickled food and physical activities), and intestinal early warning symptoms. All colonoscopically detected polyps were removed for histological examination. Polyps were histologically divided into non-adenomatous (hyperplastic polyps and inflammatory polyps) and adenomatous polyps (tubular, villous, tubulovillous and serrated adenomas). Pathologic features were analyzed according to anatomical site. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for colorectal adenoma.

RESULTSA total of 7077 subjects who received colonoscopic examination and completed the questionnaire survey were enrolled in this study. There were 3633 males and 3444 females with a median age of 53 (ranged 17 to 83) years. Adenoma detection rate was 15.6% (1103/7077) in all cases, 21.0%(762/3633) for males, and 9.9%(341/3444) for females(P=0.000). Detection rate of 6.2%(29/469) was recorded in individuals aged less than 30 years, 8.0%(87/1086) in those from 30 to 39 years, 12.1%(148/1222) in those from 40 to 49 years, 16.8%(272/1623) in those from 50 to 59 years, 20.4%(326/1601) in those from 60 to 69 years, and 22.4%(241/1076) in those ≥70 years. The detection rate increased according to age(P=0.000). A total of 1521 adenomas were detected in 1103 cases, including 1455 tubular adenomas, 33 tubulovillous adenomas, 9 villous adenomas and 24 serrated adenomas. Among 1521 adenomas, 44.1%(n=671) located in the right hemicolon, 39.0%(n=593) in the left hemicolon, and 16.9%(n=257) in the rectum. Significantly larger number of serrated adenomas and advanced adenomas (advanced adenoma was defined as any adenoma with high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, diameter ≥10 mm or with villous component) was observed in the right hemicolon compared to left hemicolon and rectum [serrated adenomas: 2.5%(17/671) vs. 0.8% (5/593) and 0.8% (2/257), P=0.029; advanced adenoma: 9.2% (62/671) vs. 5.2% (31/953) and 6.6% (17/257), P=0.021]. Multivariate analysis showed that malely (P=0.003), elderly (P=0.000), obesity (P=0.014), smoking (P=0.001), alcohol (P=0.032), and family history of malignancy (P=0.000) were independent risk factors of colorectal adenoma.

CONCLUSIONSIn view of a higher detection rate of colorectal adenoma in population aged 40 to 49 years especially in male individuals, the starting age of colonoscopy screening may be advanced to 40 years old. People with family history of malignancy, obesity, and habit of smoking or drinking should be regarded as important subjects for colonoscopy screening. During colonoscopy screening, special emphasis should be given to right hemicolon.

Adenoma ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; China ; epidemiology ; Colonic Polyps ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to investigate preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as a prognostic factor in colorectal cancer. METHODS: Between January 2000 and July 2011, 1298 patients with primary adenocarcinoma colorectal cancer without metastasis, who underwent curative resection were retrospectively identified. The patients were divided into two groups according to serum CEA level at primary diagnosis: a high CEA (HCEA) group (serum CEA ≥6 ng/mL) and a normal CEA (NCEA) group (serum CEA <6 ng/mL). A 1:1 propensity score matching analysis was applied to reduce bias. Finally, 364 patients were enrolled in this study. Matched variables were age, gender, preoperative chemoradiotherapy, tumor site, cell differentiation and pathologic stage. RESULTS: The clinicopathological characteristics of the two groups did not differ significantly difference. The systemic metastasis rate was 16.5% (30/182) and 25.3% (46/182) in the NCEA and HCEA groups, respectively (p=0.039). There were no significant differences in local recurrence or metastatic sites between groups. The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate of the HCEA group was worse than that of the NCEA group; however, there was no significant difference in overall survival between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Elevated preoperative CEA was related to frequent systemic recurrence and low DFS. Therefore, elevated preoperative CEA could be considered a prognostic factor for worse clinical outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer.
Adenocarcinoma ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen* ; Cell Differentiation ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Diagnosis ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Propensity Score* ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo investigate the association of peripheral nerve invasion (PNI) with clinicopathological factors and prognosis of colorectal cancer.

METHODSClinicopathological data and Surgical specimens of 372 colorectal cancer patients who underwent radical resection from January 2011 to June 2012 in The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University were collected. Histopathological evaluation of tissue samples was conducted with hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections. PNI was considered positive when cancer cells were observed inside the nerve sheath, or when at least 33% of the nerve periphery was surrounded by cancer cells. The relationship between PNI and clinicopathological factors of colorectal cancer was analyzed by χtest or Fisher's exact test. Three-year overall survivals of PNI positive and negative patients were determined using the Kaplan-Meier method. Detection results were compared using log-rank test.

RESULTSOf 372 colorectal cancer patients, 133 (35.8%) were PNI positive. Among the PNI positive patients, 63 cases were male and 70 cases female; 76 cases were more than 60 years old and 57 cases less than 60 years old; tumors of 6 cases located in the ileocecal colon, of 33 cases in the ascending colon, of 7 cases in the transverse colon, of 8 cases in the descending colon, of 22 cases in the sigmoid colon, and of 57 cases in the rectum; tumor diameter was greater than 4 cm in 83 cases, and less than 4 cm in 50 cases; tumors of 48 cases were moderately or highly differentiated, and of 85 cases poorly-differentiation; tumor invasion depth in 2 cases, T2 in 7 cases, T3 in 93 cases, T4 in 31 cases; lymphatic metastasis was N0 phase in 56 cases, N1 in 41 cases, and N2 in 36 cases; tumors were stage I( in 2 cases, stage II( in 40 cases, of stage III( in 75 cases and stage IIII( in 16 cases. The positive rate of PNI was significantly associated with tumor location (χ=11.20, P=0.048), tumor size (χ=21.80, P=0.000), differentiation (χ=60.90, P=0.000), depth of invasion (χ=19.00, P=0.000), lymph node metastasis (χ=19.70, P=0.000) and TNM staging (χ=70.80, P=0.000), but not with sex, age or vascular invasion(P>0.05). The median follow-up time was 48 (8 to 62) months. Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that the 3-year survival rate of PNI positive patients was 52.6%, significantly lower than that of PNI negative patients(78.3%, P=0.000). Further analysis of patients with stage II( and III( colorectal cancer showed that the 3-year survival rates of PNI positive patients were 62.3% and 43.5%, respectively, which were significantly lower than those of PNI negative patients with stage II( and III((91.7% and 79.4%), and the differences were statistically significant(P=0.000).

CONCLUSIONSPNI is a poor prognostic factor of colorectal cancer. It may be a complement of the classic TNM staging classification in stratifying colorectal cancer patients, especially in stages II( and III(.

Aged ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; mortality ; pathology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Grading ; statistics & numerical data ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Neoplasm Staging ; statistics & numerical data ; Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms ; mortality ; pathology ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to investigate preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as a prognostic factor in colorectal cancer.METHODS: Between January 2000 and July 2011, 1298 patients with primary adenocarcinoma colorectal cancer without metastasis, who underwent curative resection were retrospectively identified. The patients were divided into two groups according to serum CEA level at primary diagnosis: a high CEA (HCEA) group (serum CEA ≥6 ng/mL) and a normal CEA (NCEA) group (serum CEA <6 ng/mL). A 1:1 propensity score matching analysis was applied to reduce bias. Finally, 364 patients were enrolled in this study. Matched variables were age, gender, preoperative chemoradiotherapy, tumor site, cell differentiation and pathologic stage.RESULTS: The clinicopathological characteristics of the two groups did not differ significantly difference. The systemic metastasis rate was 16.5% (30/182) and 25.3% (46/182) in the NCEA and HCEA groups, respectively (p=0.039). There were no significant differences in local recurrence or metastatic sites between groups. The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate of the HCEA group was worse than that of the NCEA group; however, there was no significant difference in overall survival between the two groups.CONCLUSION: Elevated preoperative CEA was related to frequent systemic recurrence and low DFS. Therefore, elevated preoperative CEA could be considered a prognostic factor for worse clinical outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer.
Adenocarcinoma ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Cell Differentiation ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Diagnosis ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Propensity Score ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUNDColorectal serrated polyp is considered as histologically heterogeneous lesions with malignant potential in western countries. However, few Asian studies have investigated the comprehensive clinical features of serrated polyps in symptomatic populations. The aim of the study was to evaluate the features of colorectal serrated polyps in a Chinese symptomatic population.

METHODSData from all consecutive symptomatic patients were documented from a large colonoscopy database and were analyzed. Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test and logistic regression analysis were used for the data processing.

RESULTSA total of 9191 (31.7%) patients were detected with at least one colorectal polyp. The prevalence of serrated polyps was 0.53% (153/28,981). The proportions of hyperplastic polyp (HP), sessile serrated adenoma/polyp (SSA/P), and traditional serrated adenoma (TSA) of all serrated polyps were 41.2%, 7.2%, and 51.6%, respectively, which showed a lower proportion of HP and SSA/P and a higher proportion of TSA. Serrated polyps appeared more in males and elder patients while there was no significant difference in the subtype distribution in gender and age. The proportions of large and proximal serrated polyps were 13.7% (21/153) and 46.4% (71/153), respectively. In total, 98.9% (89/90) serrated adenomas were found with dysplasia. Moreover, 14 patients with serrated polyps were found with synchronous advanced colorectal neoplasia, and large serrated polyps (LSPs) (odds ratio: 3.446, 95% confidence interval: 1.010-11.750, P < 0.05), especially large HPs, might have an association with synchronous advanced neoplasia (AN).

CONCLUSIONSThe overall detection rate of colorectal serrated polyps in Chinese symptomatic patient population was low, and distribution pattern of three subtypes is different from previous reports. Moreover, LSPs, especially large HPs, might be associated with an increased risk of synchronous AN.

Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Colonic Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the colorectal cancer incidence among compliers and non-compliers in the population of colorectal cancer screening area, and to provide scientific basis for health economic evaluation of cancer screening.

METHODSBy screening different years build queue, to retrospectively compare the data of colorectal cancer screening from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2013 and the data of cancer registration, and to analyze the colorectal cancer incidence rates among screening compliers and non-compliers, and to compare the average intervals between the end of screening and clinical cancer diagnosis using SPSS 19 statistical software. Mantel-Haenszel test was performed with a statistical significance level of α = 0.05.

RESULTSThe non-compliance rate was 38.24% among males and 28.49% among females (P < 0.001). The non-compliance rate was highest in the 40-44 and 70-74 years age groups and lowest in the 50-59 years age group. The compliers of the screening were followed up for 476,049 person-years, and there were 51 cases of colorectal cancer, with an incidence rate of 10.71/100,000. The non-compliers of the screening were followed up for 259 183 person-years, and there were 66 cases of colorectal cancer, with an incidence rate of 25.46/100,000, which was 1.38 times higher than that of the compliance group (χ2 = 21.699, P < 0.001). The incidence rate of colorectal cancer among subjects who were positive in initial screening but refused to receive an electronic colonoscopy was as high as 164.40/100,000, and the average delay time was 20.8 ± 16.8 months.

CONCLUSIONSThe colorectal cancer screening adherence among women is better than among men, and that of 50-54 years and 55-59 years age groups is better than in other age groups. The subsequent incidence rate of colorectal cancer in the non-compliance group is significantly higher than that of the compliance population.

Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Cohort Studies ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Mass Screening ; statistics & numerical data ; Middle Aged ; Patient Compliance ; statistics & numerical data ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Factors