Colorectal cancer (CRC) continues to represent a substantial worldwide health burden. Accurate risk classification and early detection have a significant impact on prognosis. There is still a significant percentage of patients who are diagnosed at advanced stages, notwithstanding the progress that has been made in screening and treatment. Thus, improved molecular tools that encompass the biological complexity of CRC are needed. High-throughput technologies have expanded the biomarker array for CRC screening, prognosis, and therapeutic prediction. This review summarizes evidence on established and emerging molecular tools from tumor tissue, blood, and stool samples, such as DNA mutations, methylation markers, RNA signatures, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA), extracellular vesicles, and multi-omic composite assays. These provide alternatives to conventional approaches that are relatively less invasive and more sensitive. Prognostic biomarkers—such as RAS, BRAF, HER2 alterations, mismatch repair deficiency, tumor mutational burden, methylation signatures, and non-coding RNAs—provide insight into tumor behavior and recurrence risk. To guide targeted therapies, immunotherapies, and chemotherapy response, predictive biomarkers such as RAS/BRAF mutations, HER2 amplification, MSI-H/dMMR status, POLE/POLD1 mutations, DNA methylation panels, miRNAs, lncRNAs, and liquid biopsy markers are crucial. Emerging technologies such as multi-omics, AI-enhanced biomarker discovery, and novel liquid biopsy components (evDNA, circRNAs) pave the way to precision oncology. These molecular tools have the potential to change how CRC is managed by earlier detection and more precise predictive biomarkers. However, large-scale validation and clinical standardization are still crucial for their extensive utilization.

CD36 functions as both a lipid transporter and scavenger receptor, integrating metabolic and inflammatory signaling pathways. It plays a critical role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and influencing disease progression. This review summarizes the structure, ligands, functions, regulation, and clinical implications of CD36 in renal and bladder cancer. Increased CD36 expression promotes enhanced fatty acid uptake, which supports tumor cell proliferation, migration and survival, by mediating metabolic reprogramming and interacting with the tumor microenvironment. In renal cancer, most frequently clear cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC), which has a typical metabolic phenotype, CD36 is involved in lipid accumulation and oxidative stress pathways. Pathogenic mechanisms include hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-driven pathways and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1A (CPT1A) via the PPARα/CD36 axis, which phosphorylate Akt. By using fatty acid oxidation, CD36 lead to the production of reactive oxygen species and to transcription of genes mediating a pro-tumor function, inducing tumor-associated macrophages (TAM). In bladder cancer, CD36 is implicated in tumoral cells proliferation, survival, and adaptation to metabolic stress, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and influences the tumor microenvironment, through interactions with tumor-associated macrophages and inflammatory signaling pathways. Although multiple studies propose CD36 as a prognostic biomarker, inconsistencies across cohorts limit its clinical translation. Notably, advances have revealed the regulatory networks governing distinct physiological properties of CD36, thereby identifying targeting CD36 as a potential strategy for cancer treatment. Inhibition of CD36-mediated lipid metabolism and signaling pathways may reduce tumor growth and metastatic potential. However, further research is necessary to clarify its context-dependent functions and to develop effective CD36-targeted therapies. To our knowledge, this is the first review to systematically examine the role of CD36 across both renal and bladder cancer. It could be the first step toward identifying new mechanisms mediated by CD36 in these malignancies.

Background: Bladder cancer remains a heterogeneous disease, and genetic factors are increasingly recognized as potential contributors to its pathogenesis. CD36, a multifunctional scavenger receptor implicated in lipid metabolism and tumor progression, has not been previously investigated in relation to bladder cancer-associated polymorphisms. Objectives: This study examined the relationship between the rs1761667 variant and CD36 mRNA expression. Methods: Our study included 30 patients with bladder cancer and 19 controls. PCR–RFLP genotyping for rs1761667 and RT–qPCR quantification of CD36 mRNA expression, with GAPDH as the reference gene, were performed. Expression levels were analyzed using the 2^−ΔΔCt method, and statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05. Results: In patients, CD36 expression varied significantly across rs1761667 genotypes with reduced expression in AA carriers compared with GG carriers (post hoc, p = 0.009, with a Holm-adjusted p = 0.03). No significant genotype-related differences were observed among controls. Genotype distributions did not differ significantly between cases and controls (χ², p = 0.053). Conclusions: These results indicate that rs1761667 may modulate CD36 transcription in a genotype-dependent manner, particularly in the disease context. Overall, our findings point to a potential biological connection between inherited CD36 variation and bladder cancer-related pathways, underscoring the need for further validation in tumor tissues