• COLONIC MICROFLORA
• COLORECTAL CANCER

We read with interest the findings by Zhou et al that identified the microbiota-induced S100A11-RAGE axis as a basis for immune evasion in proximal colorectal cancer (CRC), the targeting potential of this pathway in enhancing the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy.1 Currently, despite showing a response more favourably in hypermutated tumours, the effectiveness of immunotherapy in microsatellite stable CRC patients remains controversial, largely due to the imprecision in defining the subset of patients who benefit.2 The authors addressed CRC in different anatomical locations, focusing on different anatomical subsites, where microsatellite instability (MSI) represents one of the key molecular distinctions. However, the underlying causes of the differential MSI patterns between anatomical sites and the development of precise, effective therapies targeting MSI remain unclear.3 The present study did not investigate whether distinct microbial communities might …