Molecular classification of colorectal cancer3
| Type | CIMP | MSI | BRAF | KRAS | Pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | High | High | Mutation | WT | Serrated |
| 2 | High | Low or stable | Mutation | WT | Serrated |
| 3 | Low | Low or stable | WT | Mutation | Serrated or adenoma-carcinoma |
| 4 | Neg | Stable | WT | WT | Adenoma-carcinoma |
| 5 | Neg | High | WT | WT | Adenoma-carcinoma Lynch syndrome |
Note that CIMP-H status may or may not result in MSI depending on whether hMLH-1 is one of the genes inactivated as a result of hypermethylation of its promoter sequence.
CIMP, CpG island methylator phenotype; MSI, microsatellite instability; WT, wild type (ie, not mutant).