# Surgery triggered immune response and liver metastases

> **NIH NIH R01** · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $348,372

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Colorectal cancer is a devastating cause of mortality worldwide, with the majority of patients dying as a result
of hepatic metastasis. When feasible, resection of hepatic metastases provides improved overall and disease-
free survival; however, hepatic recurrence after surgical resection occurs in 50-60% of patients and is the
major cause of treatment failure. Surgery-induced inflammation has long been suggested to enhance the risk
of tumor recurrence; however the exact mechanisms remain poorly understood. Activation of the immune
response following surgery is fundamental for reparative processes but evidence suggests that the
inflammatory response may also evoke alternations in the tumor environment to promote disease recurrence
and systemic metastases. This proposal focuses on key factors and mechanisms that contribute to surgery-
induced metastasis formation. Our laboratory previously revealed the novel finding that neutrophils, the
principal cells in the immune response to surgery, can form neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) after surgical
stress to the liver; and, targeting NETs ameliorates the hepatic as well as systemic inflammation in mice. In
addition, our latest exciting results demonstrate that increased NET formation following surgical stress of the
liver advances the acceleration of both the development and progression of metastatic colorectal disease.
Thus, the overall objective of this grant proposal is to determine the mechanisms by which NETs, formed in the
liver following surgical stress, promote the invasiveness of circulating tumor cells and the growth of existing
micro-metastatic disease to facilitate disease progression. We will also validate these mechanisms in clinical
outcomes of patients undergoing liver surgery for metastatic colorectal cancer. In Aim 1, we will determine the
role of NETs in capturing circulating tumor cells released during surgery. Aim 2 will identify the role of surgery
induced NETs in maintaining a pro-inflammatory microenvironment to promote metastatic growth. The focus of
Aim 3 will be to establish the role of mitochondrial biogenesis in the process of NET-mediated intrahepatic
tumor progression. These studies will greatly enhance our knowledge of the inflammatory pathways and
mechanistic changes that occur after cancer related surgery, both of which are pivotal for the development of
new therapeutic strategies to prevent tumor recurrence, and subsequently decrease morbidity and mortality, in
a variety of clinical settings.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10073479
- **Project number:** 5R01CA214865-04
- **Recipient organization:** OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Allan Tsung
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $348,372
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-01-01 → 2022-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10073479

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10073479, Surgery triggered immune response and liver metastases (5R01CA214865-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10073479. Licensed CC0.

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