Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2011, 12(1), 78-113; doi:10.3390/ijms12010078
Review

Cell Surface Markers in Colorectal Cancer Prognosis

Larissa Belov* email, Jerry Zhouemail and Richard I. Christophersonemail
School of Molecular Bioscience, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 30 November 2010; in revised form: 16 December 2010 / Accepted: 20 December 2010 / Published: 28 December 2010
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomarkers)
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Abstract: The classification of colorectal cancers (CRC) is currently based largely on histologically determined tumour characteristics, such as differentiation status and tumour stage, i.e., depth of tumour invasion, involvement of regional lymph nodes and the occurrence of metastatic spread to other organs. These are the conventional prognostic factors for patient survival and often determine the requirement for adjuvant therapy after surgical resection of the primary tumour. However, patients with the same CRC stage can have very different disease-related outcomes. For some, surgical removal of early-stage tumours leads to full recovery, while for others, disease recurrence and metastasis may occur regardless of adjuvant therapy. It is therefore important to understand the molecular processes that lead to disease progression and metastasis and to find more reliable prognostic markers and novel targets for therapy. This review focuses on cell surface proteins that correlate with tumour progression, metastasis and patient outcome, and discusses some of the challenges in finding prognostic protein markers in CRC.
Keywords: colorectal cancer; biomarkers; proteomics; prognostic

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Belov, L.; Zhou, J.; Christopherson, R.I. Cell Surface Markers in Colorectal Cancer Prognosis. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2011, 12, 78-113.

AMA Style

Belov L, Zhou J, Christopherson RI. Cell Surface Markers in Colorectal Cancer Prognosis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2011; 12(1):78-113.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Belov, Larissa; Zhou, Jerry; Christopherson, Richard I. 2011. "Cell Surface Markers in Colorectal Cancer Prognosis." Int. J. Mol. Sci. 12, no. 1: 78-113.

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