Although Sheikh et al (1999) reported overexpression of the decoy receptor TRAIL-R3 mRNA in four out of six colon cancers, with TRAIL-R3 overexpression conferring relative TRAIL resistance, Koornstra et al (2003) found no significant alterations in expression of the decoy receptors in colonic tumours compared to normal colonic epithelium in vivo. This evidence concerns the gene TNFRSF10C and malignant colon neoplasm.