Tumor Budding in Colorectal Cancer Diagnostics
Summary
Tumor budding refers to the presence of individual malignant cells or small clusters of up to four cells at the invasive margin of colorectal carcinomas. Recognised as a robust indicator of aggressive biology, budding correlates with lymph node metastasis, distant spread and poor survival outcomes. The International Tumor Budding Consensus Conference has standardised assessment on haematoxylin and eosin-stained sections, recommending identification of a “hotspot” at the invasive front in which buds are counted per designated area. Budding reflects partial epithelial–mesenchymal transition, interactions with stromal components and local immunological factors. Despite strong prognostic power, routine implementation has been hindered by interobserver variability and time-consuming manual counts. Recent advances in digital pathology and computational analytics promise to deliver reproducible quantification, while mechanistic studies continue to elucidate the molecular drivers of bud formation and its role in therapeutic resistance.
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Tumor Budding in Colorectal Cancer Diagnostics publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in tumor budding in colorectal cancer diagnostics across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Tumor budding: Single tumour cells or clusters of up to four cells at the invasive tumour front, linked to poor prognosis.
Invasive front: The interface between malignant epithelium and surrounding stroma where budding is evaluated.
Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT): A cellular programme by which epithelial cells acquire mesenchymal, migratory properties facilitating invasion.
Hotspot: The area of highest budding density selected for standardized counting.
Pseudobudding: Artefactual small cell clusters due to gland fragmentation or inflammation, not reflecting true invasive buds.
References
- Neighboring macrophage-induced alteration in the phenotype of colorectal cancer cells in the tumor budding area. Cancer Cell International (2024).
- Fully Automated Tumor Bud Assessment in Hematoxylin and Eosin-Stained Whole Slide Images of Colorectal Cancer. Modern Pathology (2023).
- Pseudobudding: ruptured glands do not represent true tumor buds. The Journal of Pathology (2023).
- Tumor Budding: The Name is EMT. Partial EMT.. Journal of Clinical Medicine (2016).
- Molecular and Pathogenetic Aspects of Tumor Budding in Colorectal Cancer. Frontiers in Medicine (2015).
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