摘要
Simple Summary The ability to predict or detect colorectal cancer (CRC) recurrence early after surgery enables physicians to apply appropriate treatment plans and different follow-up strategies to improve patient survival. A certain portion of CRCs will recur, and current surveillance tools have limitations in the precise and early detection of cancer relapse. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), cancer cells that are disconnected from the primary tumor and enter the bloodstream, can provide real-time information on disease status. CTCs might become markers not only for predicting CRC recurrence but also for guiding therapy for stage II CRC and monitoring disease relapse in locally advanced rectal cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy. Using CTC subtypes and CTCs combined with clinicopathological factors is an even more powerful way to predict CRC recurrence.Abstract The ability to predict or detect colorectal cancer (CRC) recurrence early after surgery enables physicians to apply appropriate treatment plans and different follow-up strategies to improve patient survival. Overall, 30-50% of CRC patients experience cancer recurrence after radical surgery, but current surveillance tools have limitations in the precise and early detection of cancer recurrence. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cancer cells that detach from the primary tumor and enter the bloodstream. These can provide real-time information on disease status. CTCs might become novel markers for predicting CRC recurrence and, more importantly, for making decisions about additional adjuvant chemotherapy. In this review, the clinical application of CTCs as a therapeutic marker for stage II CRC is described. It then discusses the utility of CTCs for monitoring cancer recurrence in advanced rectal cancer patients who undergo neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Finally, it discusses the roles of CTC subtypes and CTCs combined with clinicopathological factors in establishing a multimarker model for predicting CRC recurrence.