Molecular approach for diagnosis of colorectal cancer

Implementation of screening programs aimed at early detection of colorectal cancer is essen- tial to reduce incidence and mortality rates. Current screening and diagnostic methods range from semi-invasive procedures such as colonoscopy to noninvasive stool-based tests. On the other hands, with the development of new sensitive molecular techniques, colorectal cancer initiation and progression have been known to control by both genetic and epigenetic events, which can be used for the development of novel, minimally invasive molecular bio- markers. The purpose of this review is to discuss the commercially available colorectal cancer molecular diagnostic methods as well as to highlight some of the new candidate molecular markers for stool, and blood samples.