Sporadic colorectal cancer: Studying ways to an end (original) (raw)

2015, United European Gastroenterology Journal

Introduction: Although colorectal cancer (CRC) has often been regarded as a single entity, different pathways may lead to macroscopically similar cancers. These pathways may evolve into a patchy colonic field defect that we aimed to study in consecutive CRC patients. Methods: In a single-center, observational, prospective study, consecutive CRC patients were included if surgery and a perioperative colonoscopy were planned. Personal and familial history data were collected. Tumors were studied for microsatellite instability (MSI) status, DNA repair protein expression (DRPE) and presence of BRAF and/or APC mutations.