Multimodal tumor microenvironment signature of colorectal cancer for prediction prognosis and chemotherapy benefit

The current tumor‒node‒metastasis (TNM) staging system cannot provide sufficient information for prognosis and chemotherapy benefits in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). The tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in disease progression and therapeutic response. Here, we developed and validated a multimodal tumor microenvironment signature of CRC (MTMS_CRC) using 1314 CRC patients to enhance prognosis and chemotherapy benefit predictions. We found that the MTMS_CRC is an independent predictor of prognosis. Furthermore, incorporating the MTMS_CRC and clinicopathological characteristics into the integrated nomograms significantly outperformed traditional models and the TNM staging system. Shapley values identified the MTMS_CRC as the most important predictor. Moreover, chemotherapy had no impact on prognosis in nomogram-predicted low-risk score patients but was associated with improved prognosis in medium and high-risk score patients. In summary, the MTMS_CRC is a valuable prognostic predictor in CRC patients and the integrated nomogram may help identify those who could benefit from chemotherapy.