title: Prognostic relevance of minimal residual disease in colorectal cancer.
abstract: Presence of occult minimal residual disease in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) has a strong prognostic impact on survival. Minimal residual disease plays a major role in disease relapse and formation of metastases in CRC. Analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTC) in the blood is increasingly used in clinical practice for disease monitoring of CRC patients. In this review article the role of CTC, disseminated tumor cells (DTC) in the bone marrow and micrometastases and isolated tumor cells (ITC) in the lymph nodes will be discussed, including literature published until September 2013. Occult disease is a strong prognostic marker for patient survival in CRC and defined by the presence of CTC in the blood, DTC in the bone marrow and/or micrometastases and ITC in the lymph nodes. Minimal residual disease could be used in the future to identify patient groups at risk, who might benefit from individualized treatment options.
authors.affiliation: Ulrich Bork, Robert Grützmann, Nuh N Rahbari, Sebastian Schölch, Marius Distler, Christoph Reissfelder, Moritz Koch, Jürgen Weitz, Department of GI, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Dresden, TU Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bork
authors.affiliation: Ulrich Bork, Robert Grützmann, Nuh N Rahbari, Sebastian Schölch, Marius Distler, Christoph Reissfelder, Moritz Koch, Jürgen Weitz, Department of GI, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Dresden, TU Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grützmann
authors.affiliation: Ulrich Bork, Robert Grützmann, Nuh N Rahbari, Sebastian Schölch, Marius Distler, Christoph Reissfelder, Moritz Koch, Jürgen Weitz, Department of GI, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Dresden, TU Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Nuh N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Rahbari
authors.affiliation: Ulrich Bork, Robert Grützmann, Nuh N Rahbari, Sebastian Schölch, Marius Distler, Christoph Reissfelder, Moritz Koch, Jürgen Weitz, Department of GI, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Dresden, TU Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schölch
authors.affiliation: Ulrich Bork, Robert Grützmann, Nuh N Rahbari, Sebastian Schölch, Marius Distler, Christoph Reissfelder, Moritz Koch, Jürgen Weitz, Department of GI, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Dresden, TU Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Marius
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Distler
authors.affiliation: Ulrich Bork, Robert Grützmann, Nuh N Rahbari, Sebastian Schölch, Marius Distler, Christoph Reissfelder, Moritz Koch, Jürgen Weitz, Department of GI, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Dresden, TU Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reissfelder
authors.affiliation: Ulrich Bork, Robert Grützmann, Nuh N Rahbari, Sebastian Schölch, Marius Distler, Christoph Reissfelder, Moritz Koch, Jürgen Weitz, Department of GI, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Dresden, TU Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Moritz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: Ulrich Bork, Robert Grützmann, Nuh N Rahbari, Sebastian Schölch, Marius Distler, Christoph Reissfelder, Moritz Koch, Jürgen Weitz, Department of GI, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Dresden, TU Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weitz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D061206:Neoplasm Micrometastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000473:pathology; D057285:Precision Medicine; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Circulating tumor cells; Colorectal cancer; Disseminated tumor cells; Isolated tumor cells; Micrometastases; Minimal residual disease; Occult disease