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Review
. 2021 Jul 6;5(4):477-483.
doi: 10.1002/ags3.12454. eCollection 2021 Jul.

Biomarkers in colorectal liver metastases: Rising complexity and unknown clinical significance?

Markus K Diener  1 , Stefan Fichtner-Feigl  1
Affiliations
Review

Biomarkers in colorectal liver metastases: Rising complexity and unknown clinical significance?

Markus K Diener et al. Ann Gastroenterol Surg. .

Abstract

Surgical resection of the liver is the standard treatment for colorectal liver metastases, but 70% of patients still experience recurrence, resulting in limited survival. Molecular biomarkers promise guidance within the selection process of individualized treatment and provide better prognostic forecasting of recurrence and response to treatment. Presently, most investigated biomarkers include mutations of KRAS, BRAF, TP53, PIK3CA, APC, expression of Ki-67, and microsatellite instability. As some colorectal cancer tumors exhibit more than one molecular target, in line with a rising number of potential biomarkers, the complexity of their clinical implementation is rising steadily. Therefore, it is important to approach new insights into molecular biomarkers with explicit caution to their clinical applicability and significance, as there are contradictory results arising from multiple available studies and meta-analyses. This review helps to shed light on the complexity of promising biomarkers in both the prognosis and diagnosis of colorectal liver metastases.

Keywords: BRAF; KRAS; RAS; biomarker; colorectal liver metastases; diagnostic; heterogeneity; liver resection; mutations; prognostic.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest for this article.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Highlights: Biomarkers and their clinical importance. CLM, colorectal liver metastases; OS, overall survival; RFS, recurrence‐free survival
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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