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This study examined TAC/SARIFA, a biomarker indicating direct contact between tumor cells and fat cells, in 135 patients with multiple colorectal cancers (276 tumors total) to determine whether this characteristic reflects patient-specific factors or individual tumor properties. The researchers found that in patients with synchronous locally advanced tumors, the TAC/SARIFA status showed significant concordance between different tumors in the same patient, deviating from random distribution. Patients with any TAC/SARIFA positive tumors showed significantly worse survival (62 vs. 88 months), suggesting this biomarker reflects a host-related metabolic condition rather than a property unique to each tumor.
Why it matters
This finding suggests that TAC/SARIFA status may reflect a patient's overall metabolic environment rather than individual tumor characteristics, which could influence treatment strategies and prognosis assessment. Understanding that tumor-adipocyte interaction is host-related may lead to new therapeutic approaches targeting the patient's metabolic state rather than focusing solely on individual tumors.
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⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
Introduction. TAC/SARIFA has been introduced as a new robust and easy-to-evaluate biomarker in several cancer entities, including colorectal cancer. It is defined by direct contact between at least five tumour cells and one adipocyte and is believed to indicate metabolic reprogramming associated with adverse outcome. However, the mechanism that leads to TAC/SARIFA positivity remains unclear. To investigate whether there is an individual component, we conducted a study on double and triple cancers, establishing a within patient design. Methods. We retrospectively analysed a total of 135 cases with 276 colorectal cancers from two academic medical centres. The TAC/SARIFA status was evaluated, as were the basic histopathological factors. The median follow-up time was 120 months. Results. Cases with any TAC/SARIFA positive tumours showed significantly reduced overall survival (62 vs. 88 months; p = 0.011). Analysing the entire cohort, the rates of concordant and discordant cases followed a random distribution. However, restricting the analysis to synchronous pT3/4 cases revealed a significant deviation from a random distribution (p = 0.016). Conclusion. This study reveals significant concordance of TAC/SARIFA status in synchronous locally advanced colorectal double/triple carcinomas, supporting the concept that tumour adipocyte interaction reflects a host related microenvironmental condition linked to metabolic reprogramming rather than a purely tumour intrinsic event.