Classification of early-stage colon cancer with Immunoscore®: clinical evidence and case studies

Abstract

Immunoscore® is a digital pathology diagnostic immunoassay used to complement tumor node metastasis staging for the prediction of recurrence risk in patients with early-stage colon cancer. In combination with standard clinicopathological features, Immunoscore informs adjuvant chemotherapy decision-making for patients with early-stage colon cancer. Immunoscore has been validated in patients with stage II/III colon cancer and demonstrated to be a stronger prognostic factor for survival than tumor node metastasis staging alone. Immunoscore improves the prognostic definition of patients with colon cancer, the identification of those patients at high risk of tumor recurrence, and the ability to predict which patients will derive most benefit from the use of adjuvant chemotherapy. Immunoscore has robust analytical performance characteristics which include good interlaboratory reproducibility and overall assay precision. Plain language summary: Immunoscore® is a digital pathology diagnostic test that is used in addition to standard tools for assessing the severity and aggressiveness of tumors in patients with early-stage colon cancer. Immunoscore helps clinicians decide whether chemotherapy would be appropriate in these cases and, if so, for what duration. The test is currently used for patients with stage II or stage III colon cancer to guide treatment and is a good indicator of prognosis in colon cancers, helping to identify which patients are at a higher risk of tumor recurrence and which patients might benefit most from chemotherapy. Immunoscore is also a reliable and precise test, even when performed on different portions of a tumor sample.