Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the western world, and yet the cause is often times not known, due to the fact that there are many factors contributing to it. It has been shown that tumors can, by creating their own environment, evade treatment and therefore make certain Immunotherapies less effective. A chemical modification of certain molecules ,called sialylation, has been linked to Immune evasion, drug resistance and spread of the cancer to other parts of the body. An Increased level of sialic acid on the surface of cancer cells has been linked to increased cancer survival, due to being able to evade the Immune system, which would usually find and kill cancer cells. This research aims to shed more light on the progression of colon cancer tumours, and how this specific chemical modification may contribute to enhanced Immunosuppression in the Tumor micro environment (TME). This will be done by looking at fresh colon cancer samples, taken from the operating theatre, which will be processed and then analysed using flow cytometry. This information will then be filed and stored in a Data Bank, in the hopes that this research will allow for more effective treatments of colon cancer.
