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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Med.

Sec. Gastroenterology

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1614012

A Mitochondrial Ferroptosis-Related Gene Signature Predicts Prognosis and Immune Landscape in Colon Cancer

Provisionally accepted
Hou  WangHou Wang*Guang  NingGuang Ning
  • Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

AbstractBackground: Colon cancer is a highly aggressive gastrointestinal malignancy with significant global health implications. Although mitochondrial ferroptosis-related genes have been implicated in colon cancer progression, their prognostic significance remains inadequately understood.Methods: We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the expression patterns and prognostic value of mitochondrial ferroptosis-related genes in patients with colon cancer, utilizing data from the TCGA and GEO databases. A prognostic risk model was established, followed by evaluations of the tumor microenvironment (TME), immune cell infiltration, tumor mutation burden (TMB), and predicted drug sensitivity.Results: Four key mitochondrial ferroptosis-associated genes—PDSS2, GRSF1, SLC39A8, and P4HA1—were identified. A nomogram combining the risk score and pTNM stage was constructed to predict patient outcomes. Immune microenvironment analysis revealed distinct differences in immune cell infiltration between the high- and low-risk groups. The risk score was significantly correlated with the expression of TME-related genes and immune checkpoint molecules, suggesting a more immunosuppressive microenvironment in high-risk patients. Furthermore, integrating the risk score with TMB enhanced the accuracy of survival prediction.Conclusions: This mitochondrial ferroptosis-based risk model represents a promising prognostic biomarker and may offer valuable insights for personalized treatment strategies in colon cancer management.Keywords: Colon cancer, Prognostic biomarker, Mitochondrial ferroptosis, Tumor microenvironment, Immunotherapy, Drug sensitivity.

Keywords: Colon Cancer, prognostic biomarker, Mitochondrial ferroptosis, Tumor Microenvironment, Immunotherapy, drug sensitivity

Received: 18 Apr 2025; Accepted: 02 Jul 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Wang and Ning. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Hou Wang, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

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