Mapping micrometastatic seeds of relapse

Spatial multi-omics profiling of colorectal cancer micrometastases in matched primary tumors, liver, and lung metastases revealed that liver micrometastases represent an early-evolved, stem-like, immune-suppressed residual disease state. The study identified a six-gene recurrence signature linked to these micrometastatic seeds. This finding reframes liver micrometastases as a distinct biological entity driving relapse and offers a potential biomarker panel for identifying patients at high risk of recurrence after curative-intent surgery.