Prognostic relevance of an epigenetic biomarker panel in sentinel lymph nodes from colon cancer patients

Background Patients with early colorectal cancer (stages I–II) generally have a good prognosis, but a subgroup of 15–20% experiences relapse and eventually die of disease. Occult metastases have been suggested as a marker for increased risk of recurrence in patients with node-negative disease. Using a previously identified, highly accurate epigenetic biomarker panel for early detection of colorectal tumors, we aimed at evaluating the prognostic value of occult metastases in sentinel lymph nodes of colon cancer patients.