Published online Sep 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i35.12458
Revised: May 9, 2014
Accepted: June 2, 2014
Published online: September 21, 2014
Detection of cancer cells using molecular targets is achieved by combining immunochemical reactions with gene amplification techniques. This enables the detection of cancer cells in specimens that are traditionally determined to be cancer-free. These improvements in detection can lead to prognoses that are different from those derived by conventional pathological staging. Survival is worse when cancer cells are detected in regional lymph nodes compared to when the nodes are cancer-free. Furthermore, the circulating tumor cell (CTC) count increases as the cancer progresses. Consequently, there is a correlation between CTC count and prognosis. However, large-scale prospective studies are required to confirm this. The development of more convenient and cost-effective analysis techniques will facilitate the practical application of these findings.
Core tip: In patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), a more favorable prognosis can be achieved by curative resection. The depth of tumor invasion (T-category) and the extent of lymph node metastasis (N-category) are important prognostic factors for disease staging. With regard to metastatic CRC, an attempt should be made to determine whether it can be used as a monitoring marker for determining the response to chemotherapy.