COL10A1 is a potential immunotherapy biomarker associated with immune infiltration and deficient mismatch repair in colon cancer

Plain language summaryColorectal cancer (CRC) is a deadly disease and we do not have a cure. Immunotherapy is a new method that can help CRC patients to live longer, but it only works for some people. To find out who will get good results with immunotherapy, we looked at a protein named COL10A1. We found more COL10A1 in colon cancer tissues than in healthy tissues. CRC patients with a lot of COL10A1 are more likely to die than those patients with low levels of this protein. COL10A1 can interact with some immune cells and by looking at how much COL10A1 is in different CRC patients, we may be able to choose the right patients to treat with immunotherapy. Aim: Our study aimed to identify the role of COL10A1 in colon cancer, including interaction with immune infiltrates and somatic mutations. Methods: COL10A1 expression and prognostic value were assessed. Correlations between COL10A1 and various immune parameters were conducted by bioinformatic analysis. Results: Our study demonstrated that COL10A1 is overexpressed in colon cancer and correlates with poor patient survival. The expression level of COL10A1 is significantly associated with mismatch repair deficiency and immune infiltration. High expression of COL10A1 may confer greater sensitivity to anti-PD-1 treatment in colon cancer patients. Conclusion: COL10A1 is a potential diagnostic biomarker associated with deficient mismatch repair and immune infiltration in colon cancer.