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Basic Study
©Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. No commercial re-use. See Permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Feb 27, 2026; 18(2): 114286
Published online Feb 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i2.114286
Individual chemotherapy for patients colorectal cancer based on patient-derived tumor-like cell clusters
Fu-Lin Lin, Li-Min Zhou, Yun-Jie Ye, Xiao-Long Luo, Xue-Lin Ji, Si-Qi Chen, Ji-Guang Xie, Bing-Feng Jin, Zhen-Dong Liu
Fu-Lin Lin, Yun-Jie Ye, Xiao-Long Luo, Xue-Lin Ji, Si-Qi Chen, Ji-Guang Xie, Bing-Feng Jin, Department of Colorectal Surgery, The 903rd Hospital of PLA Joint Logistic Support Force, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang Province, China
Li-Min Zhou, Department of Outpatient, The 903rd Hospital of PLA Joint Logistic Support Force, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang Province, China
Zhen-Dong Liu, Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310006, Zhejiang Province, China
Co-first authors: Fu-Lin Lin and Li-Min Zhou.
Author contributions: Liu ZD and Lin FL conceived and designed the study and drafted the manuscript; Lin FL, Zhou LM and Ye YJ collected, analyzed the tumor samples; Luo XL, Ji XL, Chen SQ, Xie JG and Jin BF performed the experiment; Liu ZD and Lin FL revised the manuscript for important intellectual content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Lin FL and Zhou LM contributed equally to this work as co-first authors.
Supported by Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Development Plan in Zhejiang Province of China, No. 2022ZB131.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of 903rd Hospital of PLA Joint Logistic Support Force.
Informed consent statement: All study participants or their legal guardian provided informed written consent about personal and medical data collection prior to study enrolment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: Available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.
Corresponding author: Zhen-Dong Liu, MD, Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, No. 54 Youdian Road, Hangzhou 310006, Zhejiang Province, China. liudong761@163.com
Received: October 28, 2025
Revised: December 3, 2025
Accepted: January 6, 2026
Published online: February 27, 2026
Processing time: 121 Days and 0.7 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant tumors. Currently, FOLFOX serves as the standard postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for resectable CRC, while FOLFIRI and FOLFOXIRI are widely used for metastatic or recurrent disease, typically in combination with targeted therapies. The microtumor patient-derived tumor-like cell clusters (PTC) drug sensitivity testing technology involves establishing an in vitro tumor model highly similar to the patient's actual tumor using their own tumor cells. This model is then utilized for drug sensitivity testing, enabling the screening and recommendation of effective treatment regimens while filtering out ineffective options based on therapeutic efficacy. This study primarily evaluates the feasibility of using PTC to guide individualized chemotherapy for CRC patients.