The Suitable Biomarkers of Colorectal Cancer for Developing Countries

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the most common cancers worldwide. Due to continued innovations in diagnosis and treatment methods, CRC continues to contribute significantly to cancer-related deaths. Invasive methods, such as endoscopy, are still the most commonly used in CRC diagnostics. However, it is not suitable for countries with limited endoscopy facilities and expertise a major problem in developing countries. Biomarkers nowadays are playing an important role in the identification and therapy of CRC patients. Despite many important technological and methodological advances, some low-invasive biomarkers, including carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen 19-9, tissue polypeptide specific antigen (TPS) and tumor-associated glycoprotein-72, circulating tumor DNA, Insulin-like growth-factor binding protein 2, hematopoietic growth factor and circulating tumor cell. Although various biomarkers have been known, their application has not been widely used in developing countries. Each biomarker has its own characteristics in its use in the management of CRC patients. A combined set of TPS and hematopoietic growth factor has the potential as a diagnostic method for the detection method in early stages in developing countries.