Published online Dec 10, 2014. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v5.i5.1036
Revised: March 21, 2014
Accepted: May 16, 2014
Published online: December 10, 2014
Processing time: 317 Days and 15.2 Hours
Core tip: The era of genomic sequencing is beginning to make significant impact on the diagnosis and management of sporadic and inherited colorectal adenocarcinoma (CRC) such as familial adenomatous polyposis. This review will discuss the current guidelines for diagnosis and management of CRC and how genomic sequencing is enabling earlier definitive diagnosis with associated intensive surveillance and preventative interventions, molecular tumor characterization directing tumor specific therapy, germline patient genome analysis which informs individual drug tolerance and efficacy, and is evolving to develop post-treatment surveillance, with the potential to ultimately decrease the current prevalence and mortality of CRC, sporadic and hereditary.