**Chapter 7 129**

Finding Needles in Haystacks: The Use of Quantitative Proteomics for the Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer *by Tiffany Gould, Muhammad Fairuz B. Jamaluddin, Joel Petit, Simon J. King, Brett Nixon, Rodney Scott, Peter Pockney and Matthew D. Dun*

Preface

Modern molecular technology has revolutionized the procurement of information from cancer tissue and blood samples. With this has come a rapid increase in our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of cancer, at a genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic level. The challenge is to translate this into clinically useful information that will impact on cancer care; conversely, to use knowledge from the clinical behaviour of cancers to direct fruitful laboratory-based research that will yield new treatment targets, prognostic and/or predictive factors, therapy resistance markers and other relevant molecular information. Colorectal cancer, although highly curable if detected early, still has one of the poorest prognoses of any cancers once metastatic. Understanding the molecular profile of colorectal cancer is essential for all clinicians who interact with patients with colorectal cancer, as well as for translational scientists looking for areas most likely to yield clinically applicable information that can guide current treatment pathways as well as direct

This book comprises a series of expert reviews on aspects of colorectal cancer that influence current therapy and/or enhance understanding of tumourogenesis, metastatic processes and therapeutic targets and treatment. A broad array of topics

The book is divided into two sections: Molecular Classification and Biomarkers. The first chapter describes recent advances in molecular classification of colorectal cancer, detailing the clinically relevant profiles of deficient mismatch repair and *RAS/RAF* and other mutations, as well as describing the development and limitation of the Consensus Molecular Subtypes. Chapter Two examines how experimental results have the potential to impact on patient management. This is followed by a chapter dedicated to the understanding of *BRAF* mutant colorectal cancer, incorporating molecular and clinical results in this important subgroup of patients

The four chapters in the Biomarkers section explore the 'hot topics' of the clinical utility of circulating tumour DNA (is it ready for "prime time"?); the therapeutic application of epigenetic markers that are of particular prominence in colorectal cancer; the detailed story behind the evolution of predictive markers for the anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody class of therapies in clinical use and finally, the current

This field is changing rapidly and as such, this book is a clear and concise snapshot of where we have come from, where we are now and where we are heading, in the search for improved outcomes for patients with colorectal cancer. I would like to thank my laboratory and clinical teams at Monash University and Monash Health for their support during this project, as well as all the contributors for sharing their expertise in a timely and responsive manner. I sincerely thank the editorial and production team at IntechOpen for their prompt and professional assistance.

is covered with contributions from across the globe.

with a very poor prognosis once metastatic disease is present.

areas for future progress.

and potential value of proteomics.
