Molecular pathogenesis of colorectal cancer
Open Access
- 4 October 2005
- Vol. 104 (10), 2035-2047
- https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.21462
Abstract
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in both men and woman in industrialized countries. Major advances have been made in our understanding of molecular events leading to formation of adenomatous polyps and cancer. Most colorectal cancers are sporadic, but a significant proportion (5–6%) has a clear genetic background. It is now widely accepted that colorectal carcinogenesis is a multistep process involving the inactivation of a variety of tumor-suppressor and DNA-repair genes and simultaneous activation of certain oncogenes. In addition, epigenetic alterations through aberrant promoter methylation and histone modification have been found to play a major role in the evolution and progression of a large proportion of sporadic colon cancers. Consequently, it is now apparent that individual colorectal cancers may evolve through diverse molecular pathways. In this article, the authors have summarized the current knowledge of molecular pathogenesis in common hereditary syndromes and sporadic forms of colorectal cancer. Novel molecular diagnostic tools for the early diagnosis and prevention of colorectal cancer that have emerged from these insights are discussed. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.Keywords
This publication has 68 references indexed in Scilit:
- Screening for the Lynch Syndrome (Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer)New England Journal of Medicine, 2005
- Herpes simplex virus type 1 can either suppress or enhance human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication in CD4‐positive T lymphocytesJournal of Medical Virology, 2003
- The role of Epigenetics in CancerDeutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift (1946), 2002
- Molecular Predictors of Survival after Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Colon CancerNew England Journal of Medicine, 2001
- Epigenetic lesions causing genetic lesions in human cancerEuropean Journal Of Cancer, 2000
- Incidence and functional consequences of hMLH1 promoter hypermethylation in colorectal carcinomaProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1998
- Clues to the Pathogenesis of Familial Colorectal CancerScience, 1993
- APC mutations occur early during colorectal tumorigenesisNature, 1992
- Identification and characterization of the familial adenomatous polyposis coli geneCell, 1991
- Genetic Alterations during Colorectal-Tumor DevelopmentNew England Journal of Medicine, 1988