%0 Journal Article
%T Tissue Elasticity as a Diagnostic Marker of Molecular Mutations in Morphologically Heterogeneous Colorectal Cancer.
%A Plekhanov AA
%A Kozlov DS
%A Shepeleva AA
%A Kiseleva EB
%A Shimolina LE
%A Druzhkova IN
%A Plekhanova MA
%A Karabut MM
%A Gubarkova EV
%A Gavrina AI
%A Krylov DP
%A Sovetsky AA
%A Gamayunov SV
%A Kuznetsova DS
%A Zaitsev VY
%A Sirotkina MA
%A Gladkova ND
%J Int J Mol Sci
%V 25
%N 10
%D 2024 May 14
%M 38791375
%F 6.208
%R 10.3390/ijms25105337
%X The presence of molecular mutations in colorectal cancer (CRC) is a decisive factor in selecting the most effective first-line therapy. However, molecular analysis is routinely performed only in a limited number of patients with remote metastases. We propose to use tissue stiffness as a marker of the presence of molecular mutations in CRC samples. For this purpose, we applied compression optical coherence elastography (C-OCE) to calculate stiffness values in regions corresponding to specific CRC morphological patterns (n = 54). In parallel to estimating stiffness, molecular analysis from the same zones was performed to establish their relationships. As a result, a high correlation between the presence of KRAS/NRAS/BRAF driver mutations and high stiffness values was revealed regardless of CRC morphological pattern type. Further, we proposed threshold stiffness values for label-free targeted detection of molecular alterations in CRC tissues: for KRAS, NRAS, or BRAF driver mutation-above 803 kPa (sensitivity-91%; specificity-80%; diagnostic accuracy-85%), and only for KRAS driver mutation-above 850 kPa (sensitivity-90%; specificity-88%; diagnostic accuracy-89%). To conclude, C-OCE estimation of tissue stiffness can be used as a clinical diagnostic tool for preliminary screening of genetic burden in CRC tissues.