Adenomatous polyps of the appendix frequently had APC, KRAS and TP53 mutations and were morphologically and molecularly similar to adenomatous polyps of the colorectum.
The primary objective of the current investigation was to determine whether folic acid would prevent LOH of the three tumor suppressor genes, deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC), adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and p53 in macroscopically normal appearing rectal mucosa of patients with adenomatous polyps.
In the 4 adenomatous polyps with carcinomatous foci, BAT-26 positivity was detected in 2 cases (50%) in both (adenomatous and carcinomatous) components of the lesions. p53 immunoreactivity was observed in 6 adenomatous polyps, 2 of them with malignant transformation.
Serum levels of the mutant p53 protein in patients with colorectal cancer (mean=0.97+/-0.14 ng/ml, ranged from 0.7 ng/ml to 1.37 ng/ml, n=50) were significantly greater than those in patients with adenomatous polyp (mean=0.73+/-0.06 ng/ml, ranged from 0.69 ng/ml to 0.83 ng/ml) (p<0.001).