Advances in Colorectal Cancer Screening

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. There is a 5% lifetime risk of developing CRC in many regions and despite treatment, 45% of persons diagnosed with CRC die as a result of the disease. The development of molecular biology techniques and methods has allowed a thorough knowledge of the carcinogenicity process in the CCR. Currently, multiple guidelines are available that provide guidance to clinicians who refer patients to screening. Although colonoscopy is the preferred tool for detecting and diagnosing CCR, non-invasive stool-based tests are widely used. In this section we reviewed the most important studies that have been published regarding molecular biomarkers to identify new approaches, as well as metabolomics for identifying new biomarkers for colorectal cancer. Death occurring from colorectal cancer can be prevented by detecting cancer and precancerous lesions at an early stage. For achieving this goal, new screening tools are mandatory and research for better screening tests is needed.

Keywords: Colonoscopy, Colorectal cancer, Faecal test, Metabolomics, Screening.