Immune Microenvironment Signatures Predict Response and Survival in Rectal Cancer Patients After Neoadjuvant...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology
• Genetics

Background:

• Response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) for rectal cancer is variable.
• The tumor immune microenvironment significantly influences treatment outcomes.
• Identifying biomarkers for treatment response is crucial for personalized rectal cancer therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze immune-related gene expression in rectal cancer patients post-nCRT.
• To identify potential predictive and prognostic biomarkers for nCRT response in rectal cancer.
• To develop a predictive model for nCRT response using immune gene signatures.

Main Methods:

• Gene expression profiling of 730 immune-related genes in 48 rectal cancer samples post-nCRT using NanoString.
• Differential gene expression analysis between good and poor responders.
• Gene set enrichment analysis, prognostic significance analysis, and machine learning model generation.

Main Results:

• Identified 24 differentially expressed immune genes between good and poor responders.
• High expression of S100A8, SPINK5, ANXA1, FOXJ1, and CLEC7A correlated with favorable nCRT response.
• S100A8 and SPINK5 expression predicted relapse-free survival, validated in external data. A predictive model achieved 85.7% accuracy.

Conclusions:

• Immune gene expression patterns correlate with nCRT response in rectal cancer.
• Specific immune genes (S100A8, SPINK5) serve as prognostic markers.
• An immune gene-based machine learning model demonstrates strong predictive potential for nCRT response.