Expression pattern of secretory‐cell‐related transcriptional signatures in colon adenocarcinomas defines tumor microenvironment characteristics and correlates with clinical outcomes

Here, by performing the principal component analysis and consensus clustering analysis, the present study identified four distinct expression patterns based on secretory cell signatures, which were significantly associated with different clinical behaviours, TME landscape, pathway activation, genomic mutations, and DNA methylation characteristics. Subsequently, an “SCS score” model was constructed. The high SCS score indicated a “secretory cell subtype 2” pattern, characterized by stromal infiltration and activation, and predicted poor prognosis and low sensitivity to fluorouracil‐based chemotherapy and immunotherapy but high sensitivity to PI3K catalytic subunit inhibitors. In conclusion, the study comprehensively uncovered the tumour heterogeneity related to secretory cell signature expression patterns. Moreover, the SCS score can supplement routine histopathological assessments to guide personalized therapeutic strategies in colon cancer patients.