Fig. 5

Morphological analysis of colon tissue after three cycles of treatment. (A) Representative high-resolution colonoscopy images from the indicated treatment groups. Arrows indicate tumor lesions and mucosal thickening. (B) Boxplot depicting the disease score generated at colonoscopy. Center lines show the medians; box limits indicate the 25th and 75th percentiles; whiskers represent Min and Max values. (ns = non significant; *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001). (C) H&E staining of FFPE colon sections: (a-c) Normal colonic tissue; (b-d) Higher magnification of pictures a-c; (e) Hyperplastic colonic mucosa thrown up in multifocal folds; (f) Higher magnification of picture (e) with evidence of mucosal thickening (arrows) and inflammatory infiltrates in the lamina propria (asterisk); (g) Hyperplastic mucosa and (h) higher magnification of the same sample; (i, k) focal intestinal crypt ectasia and moderate mixed inflammation within the lamina propria (asterisk) and the submucosa (arrowhead); (j) focal adenoma growing within and partially obliterating the intestinal lumen. (l) higher magnification of picture (j) showing focal new formed crypt ectasia (arrow), inflammation in the submucosa and lamina propria (asterisk) and multifocal crypt abscesses (arrowhead)