Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods for detecting a more aggressive form of a colon adenocarcinoma in a subject, thereby predicting the prognosis of the subject. The methods generally include determining an inflammatory gene expression signature in the colon adenocarcinoma and/or the adjacent non-cancerous tissue. In some embodiments, the inflammatory genes include, but are not limited to, PRG1, ANXA1, IL-17a, IL-23a FOXP3, HLA-DRA, IL-10, CD68 and IL-12a. In some embodiments, the method further includes detecting expression of microRNA-21 (miR-21) in the colon adenocarcinoma. Altered expression of one or more of the inflammatory genes or miR-21 indicates the prognosis of the subject. Also provided are arrays consisting essentially of probes specific for PRG1, ANXA1, IL-17a, IL-23a, FOXP3, HLA-DRA, IL-10, CD68, IL-12a and miR-21.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel methods and compositions for the diagnosis and treatment of colon cancers. The invention also provides methods of identifying inhibitors of tumorigenesis.