Work

Surgery-related change in cancer cell adhesion associates with recurrence in patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effect of pre- and postoperative serum on the adhesion of cultured colon cancer cells and their relationship with colorectal cancer recurrence. BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer is common, and surgery is the primary treatment choice. However, surgical procedures may be associated with an increased risk of recurrence. METHOD: 434 patients undergoing curatively intended colorectal cancer surgery at Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark, between July 15, 2014, and March 31, 2019, were included in the study. Pre- and postoperative serum samples were collected, and the effect on cellular adhesion was analyzed using a novel high-throughput approach based on CRISPR/Cas9 modified Caco-2 cells and secreted luciferase, named the AdhesionScore assay. The relative risk of postoperative recurrence was estimated using Cox proportional regression analysis. RESULTS: The difference in adhesion between modified Caco-2 cells seeded in the pre- and postoperative serum showed a significant increase in postoperative adhesion in patients with a recurrence event (p=0.0293). Modeling the adhesion data using multiple logistic regression and Cox proportional regression analyses showed a statistically significant association between increased postoperative adhesion and recurrence (p=0.0155 and p=0.0126, respectively). Patients with the highest AdhesionScore showed the greatest risk of recurrence (HR=7, 95% CI 1.6-37.8, p=0.0130). CONCLUSIONS: The study found that a difference in the adhesion of Caco-2 cells seeded in pre- and postoperative serum was associated with cancer recurrence following intended curative surgery. This suggests that increased postoperative adhesion may serve as a novel biological marker of recurrence in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer.

Source: European Journal of Surgical Oncology

DOI: 10.1016/j.ejso.2025.110055