title: Predictive and prognostic biomarkers for neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer.
abstract: Locally advanced rectal cancer is regularly treated with trimodality therapy consisting of neoadjuvant chemoradiation, surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. There is a need for biomarkers to assess treatment response, and aid in stratification of patient risk to adapt and personalise components of the therapy. Currently, pathological stage and tumour regression grade are used to assess response. Experimental markers include proteins involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, the epithelial to mesenchymal transition and microsatellite instability. As yet, no single marker is sufficiently robust to have clinical utility. Microarrays that screen a tumour for multiple promising candidate markers, gene expression and microRNA profiling will likely have higher yield and it is expected that a combination or panel of markers would prove most useful. Moving forward, utilising serial samples of circulating tumour cells or circulating nucleic acids can potentially allow us to demonstrate tumour heterogeneity, document mutational changes and subsequently measure treatment response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, Australia; Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, Australia; University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia. Electronic address: stephanie.lim@sswahs.nsw.gov.au.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, Australia; Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, Australia.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chua
authors.affiliation: University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia; University of Western Sydney, Liverpool, Australia; Department of Anatomical Pathology, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, Australia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, Australia; Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, Australia.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, Australia; University of Western Sydney, Liverpool, Australia; Department of Anatomical Pathology, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, Australia.
authors.forename: J-S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centre, Campbelltown, Australia; Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, Australia.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chantrill
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Bankstown Cancer Therapy Centre, Bankstown, Australia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Asghari
authors.affiliation: Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, Australia; University of Western Sydney, Liverpool, Australia; Department of Anatomical Pathology, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, Australia; University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, Australia; University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia; University of Western Sydney, Liverpool, Australia.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Spring
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, Australia; Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, Australia; University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia; University of Western Sydney, Liverpool, Australia.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Souza
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000032:analysis; D053842:Microsatellite Instability; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D011379:Prognosis; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D035683:MicroRNAs
keywords: Biomarker; Chemoradiation; Neoadjuvant; Rectal cancer