title: [Tumor markers in colorectal cancer].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 2008, colorectal cancer represented the third most commonly diagnosed tumor in Spain, and the second tumor with more deaths. Despite the new potential biomarkers in colorectal cancer, there are many challenges that need to be overcome, resulting in a need for the standardization of its determinations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The continuous advance in tumor disease knowledge makes this review a summary of the current accepted, recommended and studied tumor markers for the diagnosis and monitoring of colorectal cancer, such as fecal markers, tissue markers and serological markers, and various prognostic markers on which there are different lines of treatment in colorectal cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oncological guidelines recommend only a minority of tumor markers for routine use, such as the study of fecal occult blood, CEA determination in the postoperative followup, microsatellite instability to identify people susceptible to hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cáncer, and mutation of APC in the diagnosis of familial adenomatous polyposis.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Cirugía General y de Aparato Digestivo, Hospital Gutiérrez Ortega, Madrid, Spain. pablomensan@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Menéndez-Sánchez
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Villarejo-Campos
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Padilla-Valverde
authors.forename: José María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Menéndez-Rubio
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Montes
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D042501:Angiogenic Proteins / Q000097:blood; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D002887:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18 / Q000235:genetics; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D052138:Genes, Neoplasm; D006801:Humans; D019656:Loss of Heterozygosity; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000032:analysis; D053842:Microsatellite Instability; D009780:Occult Blood; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D015995:Prevalence; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D042501:Angiogenic Proteins; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D035683:MicroRNAs; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm
keywords: colorectal cancer; tumoral markers