Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies in the world, with a global incidence of almost 2 million new cases every year. Despite the availability of many diagnostic tests, including laboratory tests and molecular diagnostics, an increasing number of new cases is observed. Thus, it is very important to search new markers that would show high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity in the detection of colorectal cancer in early stages of the disease. Eotaxins are proteins that belong to the cytokine group—small molecules with a variety of applications. Their main role is the activation of basophils and eosinophils involved in inflammatory processes. Therefore, we performed an extensive search of the literature pertaining to our investigation via the MEDLINE/PubMed database. On the basis of available literature, we can assume that eotaxins accumulate in cancer cells in the course of CRC. This leads to a decrease in the chemotaxis of eosinophils, which are effector immune cells with anti-tumor activity. This may explain a decrease in their number as a defense mechanism of cancer cells against their destruction and may be useful when attempting anti-tumor therapy with the use of chemokines.
Highlights
The authors pointed out that eosinophils are effector immune cells with anti-tumor activity. This may explain a decrease in their number as a defense mechanism against cancer cell destruction
The majority of published papers indicate that eotaxins and their receptor (CCR3) show high expression in cancer tissues when compared to healthy controls
Serum or plasma concentrations of these parameters show no significant differences between colorectal cancer (CRC) and controls
Summary
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a disease which usually develops as a result of uncontrolled cell growth in a specific part of the large intestine. Presence of a tumor in the majority of patients is asymptomatic, and early diagnosis, which is currently limited to screening methods such as fecal occult blood testing, flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy, is vital Tumor markers such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) or carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) are used in CRC diagnostics, but their diagnostic sensitivity and specificity are insufficient. Many scientists focus their efforts on the search for new markers that could facilitate CRC detection in the future and significantly impact the lifespan and quality of life of patients [1,2,3]
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