Biomarkers for detecting colorectal cancer non-invasively: DNA, RNA or proteins?

Table 5 Non-invasive faecal bacterial biomarkers used for colorectal cancer detection

Study setting	Sample type	Marker type	Biomarker(s)	Sensitivity (or its range)	Specificity (or its range)	Ref.
Case-control	Stool	Bacterial	Fusobacterium nucleatum	54.0%-92.8%	79.8%-91.0%	[128-131]
Case-control	Stool	Bacterial	clbA-positive bacteria	56.4%	81.5%	[131]
Case-control	Stool	Bacterial panel	Fusobacterium nucleatum, Bacteroides clarus, Roseburia intestinalis and Clostridium hathewayi	92.8%	79.8%	[130]
Case-control	Stool	Bacterial panel	clbA-positive bacteria and Fusobacterium nucleatum	84.6%	63.1%	[131]
Case-control	Stool	Bacterial panel	Ratio of Fusobacterium nucleatum to Bifidobacterium	84.6%	92.3%	[132]
Case-control	Stool	Bacterial panel	Combination of ratios of Fusobacterium nucleatum to Bifidobacterium and Fusobacterium nucleatum to Faecalibacterium prausnitzii	90.0%	90.2%	[132]
Case-control (CRC and adenomatous polyps in the case group)	Stool	Bacterial panel	Fusobacterium nucleatum, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus bovis, Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis, and Porphyromonas spp	91.4%	93.5%	[133]

CRC: Colorectal cancer.