Molecular Diagnosis of Response to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation Therapy in Patients with Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer

Sensitive molecular techniques detect K-ras and p53 mutations in post-CRT surgical specimens in some patients with a pCR. This suggests histopathological techniques might not be completely accurate, and some patients diagnosed with a pCR to CRT might have occult cancers cells in their surgical specimens.