Chromosomal instability (CIN) is present in most colorectal cancers, though the mechanism for these genetic aberrations is unclear. An explanation may lie in the possible link between JC virus (JCV) Mad-1 strain, found in colorectal cancers, and aneuploid neoplasia. It is proposed here to test the hypothesis that detection of JCV in colorectal cancer patients may serve as a clinically useful biomarker for the presence of colorectal tumors. This may be tested by looking for any correlation that may exist between JCV DNA, viral proteins, and anti-JCV anti-sera detected in samples of stool, blood, and urine obtained from patients with colorectal neoplasm compared with normal age-matched controls.
aDepartment of Medicine and Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCSD, School of Medicine, California, USA
Correspondence to: C.R. Boland, UCSD School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
ABSTRACT