Immune Checkpoints in Predicting Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy in Rectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the third most frequently diagnosed type of cancer in the world. Recent developments in the treatment of cancers suggest that immune checkpoint inhibitors will play an important role. Many studies have documented many types of soluble receptors and ligands that can be detected in plasma in cancer, and plasma levels of these molecules correlate with cancer severity. There is only one study in the literature evaluating the status of soluble immune control points in patients with rectal cancer. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of serum immune checkpoints before neoadjuvant therapy in predicting clinical response in patients with rectal cancer. In this way, it is aimed to show whether immune checkpoints are predictive markers that can predict response to neoadjuvant therapy in patients with stage II-III rectal cancer.