The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in New Zealand non-Maori women is recognized as the highest in the world, and the highest global rates of CRC occur in New Zealand and Australian populations. We are profiling the gene expression of CRC cell lines using complementary DNA microarrays to provide baseline data for a clinical investigation of the genetic events involved in metastasis of this disease. The genetic mechanisms underlying metastasis of CRC are at present poorly understood. The development of metastasis significantly reduces five-year survival of CRC patients from at least 70% in those with no metastatic involvement to 35–65% in those with lymph node involvement and 5% in those with distant metastasis. We have generated cell lines from patient tumor samples with varying Dukes classifications of disease pathology. Of particular interest are two cell lines from the same individual, obtained one year apart, that are derived from nonmetastatic CRC at the Dukes B stage and metastatic CRC at the Dukes C stage. Gene expression data comparing the metastatic and nonmetastatic cell lines will be presented. Greater understanding of the molecular processes involved in the initiation and progression of CRC may lead to new clinical options for CRC screening and treatment, and for prediction and prevention of metastatic events in CRC.