Crucial advancements have been made in the field of molecular biology and genomics, such as microsatellite instability (MSI)/stability (MSS) [4], RAS pathway‐related molecules [5] and human epidermal growth factor receptor‐2 (HER2) status [6], which had greatly contributed to optimize treatment and the diagnostic strategy of advanced rectal cancer, but new approaches are still needed to further reveal the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of rectal cancer. Here, ERBB2 is linked to rectal cancer.