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Fan XJ, Wang FS, Yao Y, Xu S, Chen CQ, Zhao ZX. Chromatin assembly factor 1 subunit B expression correlates with favorable prognosis and potential therapeutic response prediction in left-sided colorectal cancer. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2026; 18(12): 125841 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.125841]
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Dec 15, 2026; 18(12): 125841 Published online Dec 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.125841
Chromatin assembly factor 1 subunit B expression correlates with favorable prognosis and potential therapeutic response prediction in left-sided colorectal cancer
Xi-Jie Fan, Fu-Sheng Wang, Yuan Yao, Shun Xu, Chao-Qian Chen, Zong-Xian Zhao, Department of Anorectal Surgery, Fuyang City People’s Hospital, Fuyang 236000, Anhui Province, China
Author contributions: Fan XJ and Zhao ZX designed the research and completed the manuscript; Wang FS, Yao Y, Xu S, and Chen CQ performed the research; and all authors have read and approved the final version to be published.
AI contribution statement: Portions of this manuscript were edited using AI tools solely for language refinement. The authors carefully reviewed and verified all AI-assisted outputs and take full responsibility for the scientific content of the manuscript.
Supported by Fuyang Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Anhui, China, No. FK20245505; Anhui Provincial Health Commission, No. AHWJ2023Baa20164; and Bengbu Medical University, No. 2022byzd168.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Fuyang People’s Hospital, approval No.[2023]42.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: The data generated or analyzed in this study are available from the corresponding author.
Corresponding author: Zong-Xian Zhao, MD, Department of Anorectal Surgery, Fuyang City People’s Hospital, No. 501 Sanqing Road, Yingzhou District, Fuyang 236000, Anhui Province, China. 461901580@qq.com
Received: July 20, 2026 Revised: August 22, 2026 Accepted: October 29, 2026 Published online: December 15, 2026 Processing time: 115 Days and 10.9 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Chromatin assembly factor 1 subunit B (CHAF1B) exhibits heterogeneous functions in human tumors. The location-related prognostic significance and biological roles of CHAF1B in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain poorly characterized.
AIM
To investigate the prognostic relevance of CHAF1B in CRC, with a particular focus on its biological functions and clinical implications in left-sided CRC (LCRC).
METHODS
CHAF1B expression was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus datasets and validated by our single-center clinical cohort. Single-cell transcriptomic profiling was applied to delineate the cellular distribution of CHAF1B. In vitro functional assays were performed using the SW480 LCRC cell line. Bioinformatic enrichment analysis and western blotting were also performed to preliminarily explore the underlying molecular pathways and biological functions.
RESULTS
CHAF1B was universally overexpressed in CRC, with potential tumor suppressive effects observed in LCRC (SW480 cells). High CHAF1B independently predicted favorable overall survival in LCRC patients and suppressed cell migration, invasion, and cell viability in vitro. Elevated CHAF1B was associated with altered cellular sensitivity to first-line chemotherapies 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin. CHAF1B expression positively correlated with microsatellite instability-high status and high tumor mutational burden, and may correlate with improved immunotherapy response.
CONCLUSION
CHAF1B expression is associated with favorable prognosis and may serve as a candidate biomarker for prognostic evaluation and therapeutic response prediction in LCRC.
Core Tip: Accumulating evidence supports the notion that left-sided colorectal cancer (CRC) and right-sided CRC represent distinct disease entities. Precise molecular subtyping of CRC is therefore an urgent unmet need to enable individualized precision treatment. Currently, the biological function of chromatin assembly factor 1 subunit B (CHAF1B) in CRC remains largely uncharacterized. In this study, elevated CHAF1B was an independent favorable prognostic biomarker for left-side CRC patients and correlated with enhanced cellular sensitivity to first-line chemotherapeutic agents. High CHAF1B expression was significantly associated with microsatellite instability-high status and high tumor mutational burden, as well as potential favorable therapeutic outcomes in patients receiving immunotherapy.
