Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40935566›Full record

ArticleJournal for immunotherapy of cancer2025

High MGMT expression identifies aggressive colorectal cancer with distinct genomic features and immune evasion properties.

Janie Yue Zhang, Barani Kumar Rajendran, Shruti S Desai, Joanna Gibson, Jassim DiPalermo, Patricia LoRusso, Yong Kong, Hongyu Zhao, Michael Cecchini, Kurt A Schalper

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal for immunotherapy of cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Janie Yue ZhangDivision of Malignant Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0459-2635
Barani Kumar RajendranDepartment of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9675-7718
Shruti S DesaiDepartment of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Joanna GibsonDepartment of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Jassim DiPalermoDepartment of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Patricia LoRussoInternal Medicine (Medical Oncology) and Yale Cancer Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Yong KongDepartment of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Hongyu ZhaoDepartment of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Michael Cecchini *Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology) and Yale Cancer Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Kurt A Schalper *Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA kurt.schalper@yale.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5692-4833

Funding

Yale Pathology Tissue Services Shared ResourceP30CA016359 · NCI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI MEGAN C KING · 1985 to 2026
$85.0M
Quantitative and Spatially-Resolved Analysis of the Tumor Immune Contexture for Optimal Diagnosis and Treatment of Lung CancerR37CA245154 · NCI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI SCHALPER, KURT A · 2020 to 2025
$2.6M
Understanding the role and clinical potential of dominant immune suppressive myeloid-cell responses in human cancerR01CA262377 · NCI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI SCHALPER, KURT A · 2021 to 2025
$1.9M
Immunomodulatory Effects of Targeting DNA Repair with Novel Temozolomide Combinations in Colorectal CancerK08CA255465 · NCI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI CECCHINI, MICHAEL · 2021 to 2025
$1.3M
NCI NIH HHS K08 CA255465NCI NIH HHS P30 CA016359NCI NIH HHS R01 CA262377NCI NIH HHS R37 CA245154
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe epigenetic silencing of O

methodsUsing multiplexed quantitative immunofluorescence we measured the localized levels of MGMT protein, γH2AX and CD8+ T cells in multiple retrospective colorectal cancer (CRC) cohorts. Genomic and transcriptomic features of selected cases were also studied with whole exome DNA sequencing and genome-wide methylation analysis.

resultsA subset of CRCs showed MGMT protein upregulation associated with lower γH2AX, reduced CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) status and shorter survival. CD8+ TILs were more distant from MGMT-expressing cells than MGMT-negative cells and the MGMT promoter methylation status did not highly correlate with MGMT protein levels in CRC. In genomic/transcriptomic analysis, high MGMT expression was associated with a lower nonsynonymous somatic mutational burden, higher transition-to-transversion mutation ratio, increased deleterious

conclusionsMGMT overexpression identifies a previously undescribed subset of CRCs with distinct biological and clinical properties including reduced mutagenesis, adaptive immune evasion, predominantly pMMR phenotype and aggressive clinical course. Direct, quantitative assessment of MGMT protein expression using spatially resolved analysis is more reliable than inference of MGMT expression by promoter methylation status in CRC.

Indexed as

Colorectal NeoplasmsDNA Modification MethylasesDNA Repair EnzymesTumor Suppressor ProteinsAgedCell Line, TumorDNA MethylationFemaleGenomicsHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesDNA Modification MethylasesDNA Repair EnzymesMGMT protein, humanTumor Suppressor ProteinsColorectal CancerTumor infiltrating lymphocyte - TIL

Identifiers

PMID40935566
PMCPMC12506448

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Registered trials

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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.