An intriguing observation in our study was the rarity of somatic non-silent mutations in several key CRC driver genes, including TP53, APC, and KRAS. While TP53 exhibited widespread CNAs across many CTC pools (Fig. 2C), suggesting potential gene disruption through alternative mechanisms other than point mutations, only a single APC and a single KRAS mutation were detected in the MSS patients. Here, APC is linked to colorectal carcinoma.