Evolving Tissue and Circulating Biomarkers as Prognostic and Predictive Tools in Colorectal Cancer

AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe success of precision medicine relies heavily on biomarkers. Validated biomarkers that help stratify risk and guide treatments in patients with colorectal cancers are limited. With advances in genomics, immune landscapes and technological assays, there are increasing numbers of biomarkers that show potential to guide treatment decisions in the clinic. In this article, we review the key emerging biomarkers including tissue-based gene-based expression biomarkers, microRNA and immune signatures along with circulating tumour DNA in plasma, biomarkers of anti-angiogenic agents.Recent FindingsMismatch repair proteins have emerged as predictive biomarkers of immune-oncology agents. Lack of caudal-type homeobox transcription factor 2 (CDX2) expression has been identified as a potential prognostic biomarker identifying a subgroup of patients with high-risk stage 2 colon cancer who would benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. A validated biomarker, Immunoscore, has been proposed as an adjunct to the conventional TNM classification to help with prognostication. Circulating tumour DNA has the potential to be a prognostic and predictive biomarker in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, and by identifying minimal residual disease in stage 2 and 3 colorectal cancer, it can be useful to detect early relapse.SummaryBiomarker discovery and validation has its own challenges, but to truly deliver precision medicine to our patients, it is crucial to understand and ...
Source: Current Colorectal Cancer Reports - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research