Fecal and colon mucosa sequencing of tubular adenoma, serrated, and polyp-free individuals

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Its development is heterogenous, with multiple mechanisms of carcinogenesis. Two distinct mechanisms include the adenoma-carcinoma sequence and the serrated pathway. The gut microbiome has been identified as a key player in the adenoma-carcinoma sequence, but its role in serrated carcinogenesis is unclear. Here, we investigated the gut microbiome associated with these two pathways using mucosal and fecal samples from human subjects during colonoscopy. Sample collection focused on healthy individuals and those with tubular adenomas, hyperplastic polyps, and sessile serrated polyps.