ArticleBJS open2023
Human gene and microbial analyses in rectal cancer complete responses to radiotherapy.
Article in BJS open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Gut microbiota-associated predictors as biomarkers of neoadjuvant treatment response in rectal cancer-a systematic review.British journal of cancer · 2026Pooled it
- Gut microbiota profile and response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer: a systematic review.Translational gastroenterology and hepatology · 2026Review
- B cells and tertiary lymphoid structures in cancer therapy response.BJC reports · 2025Review
- Article
- A two-sample Mendelian randomization study reveals the causal effects of statin medication on gut microbiota abundance in the European population.Frontiers in genetics · 2024Article
- Microbial Biomarkers in Liquid Biopsy for Cancer: An Overview and Future Directions.Cancer control : journal of the Moffitt Cancer CenterReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe gold standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer is total mesorectal excision after preoperative chemoradiotherapy. Response to chemoradiotherapy varies, with some patients completely responding to the treatment and some failing to respond at all. Identifying biomarkers of response to chemoradiotherapy could allow patients to avoid unnecessary treatment-associated morbidity rate. While previous studies have attempted to identify such biomarkers, none have reached clinical utility, which may be due to heterogeneity of the cancer. In this study, potential human gene and microbial biomarkers were explored in a cohort of rectal cancer patients who underwent chemoradiotherapy.
methodsRNA sequencing was carried out on matched tumour and adjacent normal rectum biopsies from patients with rectal cancer with varying chemoradiotherapy responses treated between 2016 and 2019 at two institutions. Enriched genes and microbes from tumours of complete responders were compared with those from tumours of others with lesser response.
resultsIn 39 patients analysed, enriched gene sets in complete responders indicate involvement of immune responses, including immunoglobulin production, B cell activation and response to bacteria (adjusted P values <0.050). Bacteria such as Ruminococcaceae bacterium and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron were documented to be abundant in tumours of complete responders compared with all other patients (adjusted P value <0.100).
conclusionThese results identify potential genetic and microbial biomarkers of response to chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer, as well as suggesting a potential mechanism of complete response to chemoradiotherapy that may benefit further testing in the laboratory.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.