Application of molecular techniques in the diagnosis, prognosis and management of patients with colorectal cancer: a practical approach

SummaryThere has been an increasing role for molecular diagnostics in the diagnosis and management of cancer, and colorectal carcinoma is no exception. Recent molecular advances have elucidated 3 broad molecular subtypes of colorectal cancer, including chromosomal instability, microsatellite instability, and cytosine-phosphoguanine island methylator phenotype, which will be discussed. Also, the common syndromes associated with colorectal carcinoma will be reviewed with a focus on the differentiation between Lynch syndrome and microsatellite unstable tumors. Molecular biomarkers for predictive and prognostic markers are also becoming widely used, and due to the clinical use of monoclonal antibodies to the epidermal growth factor receptor, an emphasis is placed on that pathway.