RATIONALE: Analyzing the structure of genes found in a person's cancer cells may help doctors improve methods of treating patients with colon cancer.

PURPOSE: Clinical trial to study the genes of patients treated with chemotherapy for colon cancer.

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the relationship between disease free survival, overall survival, and tumor replication error status for patients who have received adjuvant chemotherapy for colon cancer on CALGB protocol 8896.
• Determine the prognostic and predictive values for response to this therapy in these patients.

OUTLINE: Samples of tumor and normal tissue are obtained from CALGB 8896 patients. The samples are tested for somatic mutations and tumor replication error (RER) tumor status.

Patients do not receive the results of the genetic testing and the results do not influence the type or duration of treatment.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: At least 300 specimens will be accrued for this study.

• Genetic: mutation analysis
• Genetic: tumor replication error analysis

• Arnold CN, Goel A, Compton C, Marcus V, Niedzwiecki D, Dowell JM, Wasserman L, Inoue T, Mayer RJ, Bertagnolli MM, Boland CR. Evaluation of microsatellite instability, hMLH1 expression and hMLH1 promoter hypermethylation in defining the MSI phenotype of colorectal cancer. Cancer Biol Ther. 2004 Jan;3(1):73-8. Epub 2004 Jan 5.
• Goel A, Arnold CN, Tassone P, Chang DK, Niedzwiecki D, Dowell JM, Wasserman L, Compton C, Mayer RJ, Bertagnolli MM, Boland CR. Epigenetic inactivation of RUNX3 in microsatellite unstable sporadic colon cancers. Int J Cancer. 2004 Dec 10;112(5):754-9.
• Goel A, Arnold CN, Niedzwiecki D, Carethers JM, Dowell JM, Wasserman L, Compton C, Mayer RJ, Bertagnolli MM, Boland CR. Frequent inactivation of PTEN by promoter hypermethylation in microsatellite instability-high sporadic colorectal cancers. Cancer Res. 2004 May 1;64(9):3014-21.
• Goel A, Arnold CN, Niedzwiecki D, Chang DK, Ricciardiello L, Carethers JM, Dowell JM, Wasserman L, Compton C, Mayer RJ, Bertagnolli MM, Boland CR. Characterization of sporadic colon cancer by patterns of genomic instability. Cancer Res. 2003 Apr 1;63(7):1608-14.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Patients who received chemotherapy for colon cancer as part of CALGB protocol 8896
• Underwent an initial resection for adenocarcinoma of the colon and were determined to have a high risk of tumor recurrence based upon nodal disease or local extension of tumor with obstruction or perforation due to tumor
• Surgical specimen blocks available, including tumor tissue and normal tissue

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• Not specified

Performance status:

• Not specified

Life expectancy:

• Not specified

Hematopoietic:

• Not specified

Hepatic:

• Not specified

Renal:

• Not specified

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• Not specified

Chemotherapy:

• See Disease Characteristics

Endocrine therapy:

• Not specified

Radiotherapy:

• Not specified

Surgery:

• See Disease Characteristics