Predictive Histopathological and Molecular Biomarkers Guiding Surgical Management of Colorectal Cancer

Authors

  • Sahibzada Salma Rahman Associate Professor Surgery, Mercy Teaching Hospital, Peshawar Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan.
  • Mariam Shafqat Medical Officer, Surgery Department, Naseerullah Khan Babar Memorial Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan.
  • Muhammad Tariq MBBS, FCPS Medical Oncology, Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Oncology, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan.
  • Usman Afridi Surgical Registrar General Surgery, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, United Kingdom.
  • Waleed Mabood Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Mercy Teaching Hospital, Peshawar Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan.
  • Hafiza Shahzadi Maryam BDS, MPH, MPhil, Assistant Professor Pathology, Pak-Austria Fachhochschule, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Haripur, Pakistan.

Keywords:

Colorectal Cancer, Histopathology, Molecular Biomarkers, Tumor Budding, Msi, Ctdna, Precision Medicine.

Abstract

Introduction: Colorectal cancer is highly biologically heterogeneous and the conventional staging system does not fully define aggressiveness, treatment response or recurrence. Histopathological and molecular biomarkers may be used for individual management.

Objective: To evaluate the predictive value of histopathological and molecular biomarkers in colorectal cancer and their usefulness in guiding surgical management, treatment selection, and prognosis.

Materials and Methods: This was a prospective, observational study of 120 patients with histologically proven colorectal adenocarcinoma in Mercy Teaching Hospital, Peshawar Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan from August 2025 to January 2026. Clinical, histopathological, molecular, surgical and biomarker-related data were gathered and analyzed.

Results: Advanced disease was correlated with high/intermediate tumour budding, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion and lymph-node involvement. MSI-high/MMR deficiency was found in 15.0%, RAS mutations in 35.8%, BRAF mutations in 9.2% and HER2 amplification in 5.8%. Pathological characteristics were found to be unfavorable if detectable postoperative ctDNA was detected.

Conclusion: Integrated biomarker assessment can enhance risk stratification and provide tailored surgical and post-surgical management.

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Published

2026-08-12

How to Cite

Sahibzada Salma Rahman, Mariam Shafqat, Muhammad Tariq, Usman Afridi, Waleed Mabood, & Hafiza Shahzadi Maryam. (2026). Predictive Histopathological and Molecular Biomarkers Guiding Surgical Management of Colorectal Cancer. International Journal of Pharmacy Research & Technology (IJPRT), 16(2), 2579–2588. Retrieved from https://ijprt.org/index.php/pub/article/view/2729

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 2 (2026)

Section

Research Article

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Authors

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.