Analysis of DNA methylation patterns in stool samples was able to help detect colorectal cancer (CRC) and high-grade dysplasia (HGD) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a recent study. Researchers obtained buffered, frozen stool samples from a US case-control study and from 2 European surveillance cohorts of patients with chronic ulcerative colitis (UC, n=248), Crohn’s disease (CD, n=82), indeterminate colitis (n=2), or IBD with primary sclerosing cholangitis (n=38). Stool samples were collected before bowel preparation for colonoscopy or at least 1 week after colonoscopy. Stools from those with IBD but without neoplasia were used as controls. Among the findings:

• Levels of methylation at BMP3 and VAV3, relative to ZDHHC1 methylation, identified patients with CRC and HGD with an area under curve value of 0.91.
• Methylation levels at specific promotor regions of tense genes identified 11 of the 12 patients with CRC and HGD with >90% specificity.
• The proportion of false-positive results did not differ significantly among the case-control, referral cohort, and population cohort studies.