Identification of NUDT6 and LINGO1 as key genes for predicting response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer patients

Rectal cancer is a highly prevalent cancer worldwide and a common cause of cancer death. Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) is the first choice for advanced rectal cancer. In this study, we used bioinformatics approaches to explore key genes affected by nCRT in rectal cancer. A total of 26 samples of rectal cancer patients were collected and divided into the Treatment group (14 patients who received nCRT) and the Control group (12 patients who did not receive nCRT). Key genes were selected by high-throughput sequencing, differential expression analysis, machine learning algorithms, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and gene expression analysis. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to trace the enrichment pathways of these key genes. Additionally, the relationship between immune cells and these key genes was explored. A nomogram and molecular regulatory network were constructed based on the selected key genes.