Intratumoral Fusobacterium as a prognostic and predictive biomarker in resectable colorectal cancer
The first results from the multicenter FUSOMAP project, published in ESMO Open and led by VHIO's Molecular Oncology Group, show that the presence of intratumoral Fusobacterium in surgical tumor samples identifies a clinically more aggressive subtype of colorectal cancer (CRC), characterized by a weaker immune response, limited benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy following surgery and an increased…
An observational study reveals that intratumoral Fusobacterium presence in resectable colorectal cancer (CRC) tumors is linked to poorer prognosis and limited benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. The FUSOMAP project, a three-year multicenter study involving nine Spanish hospitals, analyzed the association between Fusobacterium in both tumor tissue and stool samples of 740 patients.
Results showed that Fusobacterium-positive tumors had shorter recurrence-free and disease-free survival rates. Adjuvant chemotherapy improved outcomes only in patients without Fusobacterium. Post-surgery stool persistence of Fusobacterium was associated with increased recurrence risk, detectable up to three years before relapse.
These findings suggest that Fusobacterium could serve as a prognostic and predictive biomarker to personalize CRC treatment and guide appropriate surveillance strategies, but further prospective validation is required.
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