Mapping Proteome Changes in Microsatellite Stable, Recurrent Colon Cancer Reveals a Significant Immune System Signature

Background/aim: Better stratification of the risk of relapse will help select the right patients for adjuvant treatment and improve targeted therapies for patients with colon cancer.

Materials and methods: To understand why a subset of tumors relapse, we compared the proteome of two groups of patients with colon cancer with similar stage, stratified based on the presence or absence of recurrence.

Results: Using tumor biopsies from the primary operation, we identified dissimilarity between recurrent and nonrecurrent mismatch satellite stable colon cancer and found that signaling related to immune activation and inflammation was associated with relapse.

Conclusion: Immune modulation may have an effect on mismatch satellite stable colon cancer. At present, immune therapy is offered primarily to microsatellite instable colon cancer. Hopefully, immune therapy in mismatch satellite stable colon cancer beyond PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors can be implemented.