Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42335576›Full record

ArticleTranslational oncology2026

Colonoscope-derived mucus as a novel high-fidelity reservoir for KRAS-mutated precancerous colorectal neoplasia detection.

Fang-Chin Hsu, Ta-Wei Pu, Jung-Chun Lin, Chao-Yang Chen

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Article in Translational oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Fang-Chin HsuDivision of Colorectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Ta-Wei PuDivision of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Songshan Branch, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Jung-Chun LinDivision of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chao-Yang ChenDivision of Colorectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: cartilage88@gmail.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimsCurrent colorectal cancer (CRC) screening methods have limited sensitivity for precancerous lesions. Blood-based liquid biopsies are constrained by systemic dilution, highlighting the need for localized, minimally invasive molecular approaches. We evaluated whether colonoscope-derived mucus serves as a high-fidelity source of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) for detecting KRAS-mutated colorectal neoplasia.

methodsIn this prospective pilot study, mucus samples (N = 43) were collected from the colonoscope sheath during routine colonoscopy. cfDNA was analyzed for KRAS codon 12 mutations using a competitive PCR assay. Diagnostic performance at variant allele frequency (VAF) thresholds (>1% and >0.1%) was compared with histology, fecal immunochemical testing (FIT), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA).

resultsAt VAF >0.1%, mucus cfDNA achieved 80.0% sensitivity for colorectal neoplasia, outperforming FIT (40.0%) and CEA (10.0%, p = 0.005). Sensitivity reached 100% for adenocarcinoma (n=2) and 75.0% for advanced precancerous colorectal lesions. Specificity decreased to 29.6% at lower thresholds, likely due to inflammatory confounders. Importantly, KRAS mutations were detected in visually inconspicuous mucosa.

conclusionsColonoscope-derived mucus is a promising localized cfDNA source for detecting early colorectal neoplasia. This approach may serve as a colonoscopy-integrated adjunct within existing screening pathways and may support post-procedure risk stratification and surveillance optimization.

Indexed as

BiomarkerCell-free DNAColorectal cancerKRAS mutationLiquid biopsy

Identifiers

PMID42335576
PMCPMC13320410

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.