Subtype identification and risk model establishment to predict prognosis and drug therapy response in colon cancer based on efferocytosis-related genes

Efferocytosis can promote tumor immune evasion. This study identified three molecular subtypes and constructed a six-gene prognostic model for colon cancer based on efferocytosis-related genes and data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Patients in the high-risk group defined by this model showed higher levels of immunosuppressive cell infiltration and increased mutation rates, exhibiting poorer responses to immunotherapy. The model gene LHX3 was highly expressed in colon cancer, promoting malignant cellular phenotypes and influencing efferocytosis. Overall, the efferocytosis-based risk model constructed in this study may provide insights for prognostic evaluation and therapeutic strategies in colon cancer.