Microsatellite Instability

Treatment options for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer are limited and, therefore, many clinicians and researchers are focused on identifying predictive and prognostic molecular targets for this disease.

Guardant360 — a liquid biopsy test through which next-generation sequencing is performed on cell-free DNA extracted from a patient’s blood — appeared effective for detection of microsatellite instability status, according to study data published in Clinical Cancer Research.

Consensus molecular subtype classification demonstrated potential clinical utility as an independent prognostic factor for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who receive first-line therapy, according to results of a prospective phase 3 trial published in Journal of Clinical Oncology.