IARC 60th Anniversary - 19-21 May 2026
Session : 19/05/26 - Posters
Plasma anti-p53 autoantibody levels as a novel risk-prediction marker for colorectal cancer
STENLUND M. 1, BOVINDER YLITALO E. 1, EDSTRÖM S. 2, VIDMAN L. 1, PALMQVIST R. 2, HARLID S. 1, GYLLING B. 2, VAN GUELPEN B. 1,3
1 Department of Diagnostics and Intervention, Oncology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden; 2 Department of Medical Biosciences, Pathology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden; 3 Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine at Umeå University (WCMM), Umeå, Sweden
Background
Colorectal cancer prognosis is strongly dependent on disease stage at diagnosis, and early detection therefore remains an important strategy for reducing the global burden of colorectal cancer morbidity and mortality. During cancer development, cancer patients may produce autoantibodies directed against tumor-associated antigens. Several studies have demonstrated that such autoantibodies can be detected in blood and may have potential utility as non-invasive biomarkers for cancer screening and early detection. Based on previous studies using prediagnostic blood samples, circulating autoantibodies targeting the p53 tumor suppressor protein have emerged as a promising biomarker candidate for the early detection of colorectal cancer.
Objectives
The aim of this study is to validate and extend findings from previous studies by assessing the presence of anti-p53 autoantibodies in prediagnostic blood samples collected at various time points prior to colorectal cancer diagnosis, compared with time-matched cancer-free controls. Furthermore, we will assess p53 expression in tumor tissue samples, to relate circulating and tumor levels in the same patients.
Methods
The study is set in the population-based, prospective Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study (NSHDS). It utilizes an existing, well-characterized, nested case–control study of ~1000 colorectal cancer cases diagnosed between 1986 and 2016 and ~1000 cancer-free controls matched on subcohort, sex, age, fasting status, and year of blood sample collection. For a subset of approximately 250 case–control pairs, repeated time-matched prediagnostic blood samples were available. Plasma anti-p53 autoantibody concentrations were measured using a commercially available ELISA. Tumor tissue analysis of p53 expression will use clinical routine immunohistochemical staining.
Results
Biochemical analyses have just recently been completed, and data preprocessing is ongoing. Next steps include statistical analyses of risk, including multivariable conditional logistic regression and mixed models. The tumor tissue sample collection is currently being assembled for immunohistochemical analysis of p53 expression.
Conclusions/Implications for practice or policy
The findings from this study will add to the knowledge base for potential further development of anti-p53 autoantibodies as an early-detection biomarker for colorectal cancer.