PRSS contributes to cetuximab resistance in colorectal cancer

Tan, Zhaoli; Gao, Lihua; Wang, Yan; Yin, Huihui; Xi, Yongyi; Wu, Xiaojie; Shao, Yong; Qiu, Weiyi; Du, Peng; Shen, Wenlong; Fu, Ling; Jia, Ru; Zhao, Chuanhua; Zhang, Yun; Zhao, Zhihu; Sun, Zhiwei; Chen, Hongxing; Hu, Xianwen; Xu, Jianming; Wang, Youliang

Our work suggests that serum PRSS1 expression levels have a drug resistance profile that correlates well with xenograft and mCRC patient characteristics, illustrating the molecular connections between intracellular and extracellular signaling that are potentially relevant for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. Patient serum PRSS1 levels correlate with treatment outcomes evaluated by standard radiological assessment, which may be helpful for identifying patients with mCRC with poor prognoses and/or cetuximab resistance, and PRSS1 levels may therefore serve as a noninvasive predictive marker of the cetuximab response. In accordance with our findings, PRSS detection can be further developed for tailored management of not only CRC but also all diseases that can be treated with mAbs. The preliminary validation of our findings in the serum of patients with mCRC suggests that secreted PRSS1 levels correlate with the response to cetuximab treatment.