A novel discriminating colorectal cancer model for differentiating normal and tumor tissues.

Aim: To construct a model discriminating colorectal cancer (CRC) based on differential DNA methylation. Materials & methods: The CRC-related methylation-modulated genes were retrieved from literature. The methylation levels of CpG sites in the promoter regions and the first exons of candidate genes were verified in The Cancer Genome Atlas data. A model for discriminating CRC based on methylation levels was established using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression. Results: Five new differentially methylated CpG sites were identified and further validated in 94 Chinese CRC patients. A five-CpG-based panel was constructed, with the area under the curve values of 0.999 in The Cancer Genome Atlas data and 0.943 in Chinese patients, respectively. Conclusion: This five-CpG-based panel is a practical and reliable tool for CRC discrimination.