Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains one of the commonest types of cancer in the USA. Effective treatment and potential curative resection is dependent on early detection, prior to the development of distant metastases. Radiologic and endoscopic evaluations are operator-dependent and limited by macroscopic detection when the relative cellular tumor burden is already high. Also, use of serum biomarkers such as carcinoembryonic antigen may not correlate with the extent of disease involvement. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) continue be a prominent area of investigation, despite having been described first by Ashworth in 1869. As methods for detection expand and improve, CRC is increasingly characterized by the properties of CTCs and tumor-associated cellular elements (TACEs), such as circulating tumor DNA, cell-free DNA, and microRNA. This review serves to highlight the clinical implications of CRC CTCs and TACEs for prognostication, monitoring for disease recurrence, and response to therapy.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
