Lymph node involvement remains the main criteria for postoperative chemotherapy in patients with colon cancer (CC) without distant metastasis. To date, the prognostic value of the somatic quantitative molecular alterations such as loss or gain of genomic region is not established in CC.

AIMS & METHODS: Using the one-step screening method based on the Quantitative Multiplex PCR of Short fluorescent Fragments (QMPSF), we aimed to assess the prognostic role of the simultaneous detection of main quantitative somatic alterations in stage II-III CC.

Patients and Methods. We enrolled and collected all baseline characteristics of patients operated for a stage II-III CC with storage frozen tissues. The QMPSF was based on a simultaneous amplification of 9 selected target genomic sequences from literature: DCC (18q21); EGFR (7p12); P53 (17p13.1); BLK (8p23-p22); c-myc (8q24.12); APC (5q22.2); ERBB2 (17q12); STK6 (20q13.31); NR21 (14p11.1) and two control: DCOHM (5q31.1); HMBS (11q23.3). Comparison of each amplicon electropherograms obtained from tumour vs normal peritumoral tissue allowed us to identified gain or loss genomic region. The primary end-point was the local and/or distant recurrence and relation between clinical and single or combined molecular alterations and recurrence were evaluated.

Inclusion Criteria:

• age over 18
• localized colon cancer
• proven adenocarcinoma
• surgery R0
• no metastatic disease
• stage II or III
• WHO performance status 0, 1 or 2
• availaible frozen tissue
• written consent
• no major co-morbidities

Exclusion Criteria:

• metastatic disease
• hereditary colorectal cancer
• rectal cancer