Kandel Arjun, Thida Aye M, Preet Mohan
Internal Medicine, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, USA.
Hematology and Oncology, State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, USA.
Cureus. 2025 May 19;17(5):e84394. doi: 10.7759/cureus.84394. eCollection 2025 May.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths when both males and females are considered. Screening plays a crucial role in reducing the incidence and mortality of CRC. Traditionally, CRC screening methods are classified into stool-based and visual-based approaches. Stool-based tests include the guaiac fecal occult blood test, fecal immunochemical test, and multitarget stool DNA test, while visual-based methods encompass colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, CT colonography, and capsule endoscopy. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a promising, minimally invasive tool, offering encouraging sensitivity and specificity. However, its high cost remains a limitation. In this review, the authors present a comprehensive overview of current CRC screening tools, with a particular focus on the role of ctDNA.
结直肠癌（CRC）是第三大最常被诊断出的癌症，若综合考虑男性和女性，它是癌症相关死亡的第二大主要原因。筛查在降低结直肠癌的发病率和死亡率方面起着至关重要的作用。传统上，结直肠癌筛查方法分为基于粪便的方法和基于视觉的方法。基于粪便的检测包括愈创木脂粪便潜血试验、粪便免疫化学检测和多靶点粪便DNA检测，而基于视觉的方法包括结肠镜检查、乙状结肠镜检查、CT结肠成像和胶囊内镜检查。循环肿瘤DNA（ctDNA）已成为一种有前景的微创工具，具有令人鼓舞的灵敏度和特异性。然而，其高昂的成本仍然是一个限制因素。在这篇综述中，作者全面概述了当前的结直肠癌筛查工具，特别关注ctDNA的作用。
