Profiling neoadjuvant therapy response in rectal cancer using meta-analysis of publicly available transcriptomic RNA-seq datasets.

Authors

Aleksandra Stanojevic, Rafael Stroggilos, Mladen Marinkovic, Ana Djuric, Suzana Stojanovic-Rundic, Radmila Jankovic, Sergi Castellvi-Bel, Remond J A Fijneman, Antonia Vlahou, Jerome Zoidakis, Milena Cavic

Published in

Molecular oncology. Sep 07, 2026. Epub Sep 07, 2026.

Abstract

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by total mesorectal excision is standard for locally advanced rectal cancer, but response varies and current markers are insufficient. This study integrates public bulk RNA-seq data to identify predictive features of response. TRIM54 and PABPC4 were upregulated in the responder group, while ADSS1 and MGAT1 were upregulated in the non-responder group. ARMC2 was identified as a predictive biomarker upregulated in pathological complete response. Responder group showed enrichment of NK cells and CD4+ lymphocytes, while immune precursors were linked to poor outcome. Transcription factor analysis revealed SP1 and NFKB activations in the non-responder group and TCF15 in the responder group. SMAD3 and RDXANK were associated with complete regression, while MYC was dominant in incomplete regression. These findings provide insight into mechanisms underlying therapy response. To our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis using high-throughput sequencing data, providing a valuable starting point for future rectal cancer research.

PMID:
42703166
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 07 Sep 2026.

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