The researchers had previously concluded that expression of GUCY2C increased risk of recurrence. However, it is apparent that nodal metastases do not assure recurrence; rather they indicate risk.
　　The researchers found that patients with greater occult tumor burden have a greater risk of recurrence compared to patients with less burden. Thus, molecular tumor burden in lymph nodes are independently associated with time to recurrence and disease-free survival in patients with node-negative colorectal cancer.
　　"This approach can improve prognostic risk stratification and chemotherapeutic allocation in pN0 patients," the authors write. "More generally, this study reveals a previously unappreciated paradigm to advance cancer staging, clinically translating emerging molecular platforms that complement histopathology, laboratory diagnostic, and imaging modalities."