We’re committed to our mission of finding new treatmentsTreatmentA medicine or therapy for a condition, illness or disease. Also called Therapy that may help improve the lives of people with cancerCancerAbnormal cells that grow out of control [may invade other tissues and may spread into other parts of the body]; Also called malignancy.. Our clinical trials for colorectal cancer study investigational medications alone, or in combination with other study medications, or standard of care therapyStandard of care (Standard Treatment)Accepted or approved treatment for a condition (disease or illness); treatment usually given to people for a condition (disease or illness) at the time; the treatment for a condition that is accepted and widely used by health care professionals at the time. We perform these trials to see if they can help prevent, find, or treat cancer.

Colon and rectal cancers (also known as colorectal cancer) begin as polyps, which are abnormal growths inside the colonColonThe last part of the large intestine in the digestive system. Also called large bowel or rectumRectumThe last part of the digestive system where stool is stored until it is passed out of the body. If not removed, these polyps may become cancerous. Stage IV, or advanced colorectal cancerColon cancer metastatic (Metastatic Colon Cancer)Colon cancer that spread to other parts of the body, means that the cancer cells from the colon or rectum have spread to other parts of the body.

Microsatellite instability (MSI) in colon and rectal cancer

In order to properly plan your treatment, your doctor may want to know if your cancer cells are microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H)Microsatellite Instability (MSI)Genetic mistakes that don’t get corrected when DNA is copied in a cell; [Knowing whether a cancer has microsatellite instability may help plan the best treatment]. In most people, proteinsProtein (chemical component)An important building block of organs like bones, muscle, skin, and blood. known as MMR (mismatch repair) correct errors in the DNADNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)The genetic code, passed down from biological parent to child, that can determine a person’s features, traits, and risks for health conditions.. However, in some people with colorectal cancers, the genesGeneA piece of DNA that carries genetic information that form the MMR proteins are defective and this can make parts of the DNA unstable, which is known as a deficient MMR (dMMR) system. TumorsTumorA mass or growth that forms in the body that can be cancer (malignant) or not cancer (benign). Also called neoplasm that have a dMMR system can develop microsatellite instability (MSI).