Key result
WNT pathway alterations predict better overall survival in FOLFOX-treated early-onset African American CRC patients.
Why the study?
African Americans face a disproportionate colorectal cancer burden, but the prognostic roles of WNT and TGF-beta pathway dysregulation in FOLFOX-treated disease remain understudied.
Do WNT pathway alterations affect overall survival in African American colorectal cancer patients treated with FOLFOX?
Do WNT pathway alterations affect overall survival in African American colorectal cancer patients treated with FOLFOX?
AI-driven analysis reveals that WNT pathway alterations are associated with improved overall survival in early-onset African American colorectal cancer patients treated with FOLFOX.
May inform prognosis in early-onset AA CRC on FOLFOX; extends WNT biomarker data but should not yet change practice.
Background: African Americans (AA) experience disproportionate burden of colorectal cancer. Dysregulation of the Wingless-related integration site (WNT) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) pathways contributes to tumor progression, yet their prognostic roles in FOLFOX-treated CRC among AA patients remain understudied. Methods: We analyzed 2,562 colorectal cancer cases stratified by ancestry, age at onset, and FOLFOX treatment using Fisher’s exact, chi-square, and Kaplan-Meier analyses from AACR Project GENIE andcBioPortal databases. To enhance data integration and interpretation, we applied AI-HOPE and AI-HOPE-WNT/TGFβ, conversational artificial intelligence (AI) platforms designed to integrate clinical, genomic, and treatment data through natural language-driven queries. Results: Overall survival analyses showed that early-onset AA patients treated with FOLFOX who had WNT pathway alterations experienced significantly better survival (p = 0.035). WNT pathway alterations were less frequent in late-onset AA patients treated with FOLFOX compared to those not treated (80% vs. 92%; p = 0.05). Similarly, TGF-β pathway alterations were reduced in late-onset non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients receiving FOLFOX compared to untreated cases (23% vs. 31%; p = 0.0005). Conclusions: Chemotherapy exposure may influence pathway-specific mutation frequencies across ancestry and disease stage. AI-enabled integrative analyses highlight the potential of conversational AI platforms to accelerate biomarker discovery and reveal ancestry- and treatment-specific vulnerabilities in colorectal cancer. Citation Format: Tsion Z. Minas, Brigette Waldrup, Francisco G. Carranza, Sophia Manjarrez, Enrique Velazquez-Villarreal. Artificial intelligence-driven precision medicine identifies prognostic WNT pathway alterations in African American colorectal cancer patients treated with FOLFOX [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 5.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Minas et al. (2026) studied this question. WNT pathway alterations predicted significantly better overall survival (p = 0.035) in early-onset African American colorectal cancer patients treated with FOLFOX.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: