Dr. Cercek on the Importance of Molecular Testing in CRC

Andrea Cercek, MD, medical oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the importance of molecular testing in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Molecular markers play a key role in the treatment of patients with CRC, says Cercek.

Patients whose tumors are microsatellite instable (MSI) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) have a genetic predisposition to Lynch syndrome, explains Cercek.

All patients with CRC should be tested for MSI/dMMR upon diagnosis or before starting second-line therapy, says Cercek. A subset of these patients could experience significant benefit with immunotherapy.

Additionally, targeted therapy may be given to patients with actionable mutations such as RAS, KRAS, BRAF, and HER2 in the first-line or relapsed/refractory settings, concludes Cercek.