Radiomics-Guided Precision Medicine Approaches for Colorectal Cancer

The concept of precision oncology entails molecular profiling of tumors to guide therapeutic interventions. Genomic testing through next-generation sequencing (NGS) molecular analysis provides the basis of such highly targeted therapeutics in oncology. As radiomic analysis delivers an array of structural and functional imaging-based biomarkers that depict these molecular mechanisms and correlate with key genetic alterations related to cancers. There is an opportunity to synergize these two big-data approaches to determine the molecular guidance for precision therapeutics. Colorectal cancer is one such disease whose therapeutic management is being guided by genetic and genomic analyses. We review the rationale and utility of radiomics as a combinative strategy for these approaches in the management of colorectal cancer.