NOVEL DNA HYPERMETHYLATION DIAGNOSTIC BIOMARKERS FOR COLORECTAL CANCER

摘要

The present invention relates to the field of cancer. More specifically, the present invention relates to the use of biomarkers to detect colorectal cancer. In one aspect, the present invention provides methods for qualifying colorectal cancer status including, but not limited to, diagnosis, prognosis, and risk stratification, in patients. In one embodiment, a method for diagnosing colorectal cancer (CRC) in a patient comprises the steps of (a) collecting a sample from the patient; (b) measuring the methylation levels of one or more biomarkers in the sample collected from the patient; and (c) comparing the methylation levels of the one or more biomarkers with predefined methylation levels of the same biomarkers that correlate to a patient having CRC and predefined methylation levels of the same biomarkers that correlate to a patient not having CRC, wherein a correlation to one of the predefined methylation levels provides the diagnosis.