About 40–50% of all colorectal patients relapse in the form of metastasis. In the last three years, several molecular classifications have been proposed to identify colorectal cancer patients at risk of relapse. Scientists now explain why these classifications work and reveal, in fact, that they can be simplified and improved by looking exclusively at the genes that are expressed in the tissue around the tumor, known as the stroma or tumor microenvironment.

Source: Discovery of genetic fingerprint of aggressive colon tumors