Prediction in rectal cancer

The treatment of rectal cancer largely depends on disease stage at diagnosis, based on which patients can be classified as low, intermediate, or high risk. Prognostic and predictive markers, specific to each risk category, can be applied for optimal risk classification and subsequent treatment allocation. These markers are either histopathological, determined with imaging, or have a biomolecular background. This review provides an overview of the current status of treatment options and the use of prognostic and predictive markers in each risk category. An effort was made to identify those markers that are currently lacking in, but have the potential to improve, the clinical decision process by discussing the data from recent studies aimed at the development of new prognostic and predictive markers. At this moment, none of the markers studied has been proven to be of significant, independent value, justifying implementation in daily clinical practice. However, recent developments in imaging techniques and biomolecular research do show great potential.