Characterization of biomarkers in colorectal cancer liver metastases as a prognostic tool

Background: Unfortunately, the majority of patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRCLM) experience disease recurrence following hepatic surgery. The key challenge is therefore optimal patient selection, which currently relies on anatomical and clinical parameters. Exploring a potential molecular signature may be predictive for seeing a clinical benefit from CRCLM resection. Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent CRCLM resection at our medical center between 2006 and 2016 were divided into cohorts of “good prognosis” (GP) or “poor prognosis” (PP) based on the time interval between their resection and disease recurrence. Proteomic analysis was performed on the surgical specimen and correlation analysis was carried out with demographics and clinical outcomes. Results: Proteomic analysis revealed 99 differentially expressed proteins of which a third were associated with extracellular matrix (ECM) pathways as the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Multivariate analysis yielded a statistically differential proteomic pattern between the cohort regardless of perioperative treatment. Conclusion: Our results indicate a different proteomic landscape in the cohort of patients who had a clinical benefit from CRCLM resection which appears to be correlated with ECM pathways. Further prospective studies are needed to define the role of ECM pathways in prognostics and patient selection for surgical procedures for CRCLM.