Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a complex multifactorial disease influenced by physical, biological and genetic factors. Although the etiology of CRC has not yet been clearly defined, there have been recent studies to suggest CRC is a heterogeneous disease influenced by the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations. CRC is known as the third most common diagnosed cancer globally and is a leading cause of mortality. The main treatment used for CRC patients is radical resection, however due to the challenges of early detection and screening of CRC patients, most patients are commonly diagnosed as the disease has reached an advanced stage or has metastasised to other organ sites and CRC patients then require chemotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted therapies. The prognosis and survival rate of CRC patients remain poor. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms of CRC is essential to improve the diagnosis and treatment.
There are many aspects of understanding the molecular mechanisms which influence the progression of CRC. This includes Wnt7a which has been found to exert tumor suppressor properties in various cancers. Studies have found the positive expression of Wnt7a in colon adenocarcinoma is drastically higher compared to the Wnt7a expression in colorectal adenoma and normal colorectal mucosa. Therefore, Wnt7a can potentially be used to assess the degree of malignancy, but further studies are required to establish the relationship between Wnt7a and CRC.
Another complex molecular mechanism which influences the progression of CRC is the influence of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). These are known to impact gene expression via mechanisms including silencing the X chromosome, chromatin modification, transcriptional activation etc. There have been studies showing a variety of lncRNAs to be aberrantly expressed in CRC patients which has had both positive and negative consequences. For example, lncRNA GAS8-AS was found to be down-regulated in CRC which suppressed cell proliferation. However, lncRNA NEAT1 indirectly activated the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway through DDX5 and this led to CRC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have also been discovered to regulate tumor growth and cell proliferation. Similarly, different miRNAs have various influences on the progression of CRC. Further studies are required to understand the impact and influences of lncRNAs and miRNAs and potentially how they may serve as diagnostic and therapeutic targets for CRC patients.
Understanding the molecular mechanisms of colorectal cancer remains complex and further studies are required to develop a deeper understanding to improve the prognosis and survival rate. This Research Topic aims to discuss the molecular mechanisms involved in the progression of colorectal cancer. Topics of interest include:
-The role and effects of oncogenes in CRC
-The role of long non-coding RNAs and miRNAs
-Signaling pathways in CRC
-Impact and influence of tumor suppressors in the progression of CRC
-Epithelial mesenchymal transition and tumor microenvironment
Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a complex multifactorial disease influenced by physical, biological and genetic factors. Although the etiology of CRC has not yet been clearly defined, there have been recent studies to suggest CRC is a heterogeneous disease influenced by the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations. CRC is known as the third most common diagnosed cancer globally and is a leading cause of mortality. The main treatment used for CRC patients is radical resection, however due to the challenges of early detection and screening of CRC patients, most patients are commonly diagnosed as the disease has reached an advanced stage or has metastasised to other organ sites and CRC patients then require chemotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted therapies. The prognosis and survival rate of CRC patients remain poor. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms of CRC is essential to improve the diagnosis and treatment.
There are many aspects of understanding the molecular mechanisms which influence the progression of CRC. This includes Wnt7a which has been found to exert tumor suppressor properties in various cancers. Studies have found the positive expression of Wnt7a in colon adenocarcinoma is drastically higher compared to the Wnt7a expression in colorectal adenoma and normal colorectal mucosa. Therefore, Wnt7a can potentially be used to assess the degree of malignancy, but further studies are required to establish the relationship between Wnt7a and CRC.
Another complex molecular mechanism which influences the progression of CRC is the influence of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). These are known to impact gene expression via mechanisms including silencing the X chromosome, chromatin modification, transcriptional activation etc. There have been studies showing a variety of lncRNAs to be aberrantly expressed in CRC patients which has had both positive and negative consequences. For example, lncRNA GAS8-AS was found to be down-regulated in CRC which suppressed cell proliferation. However, lncRNA NEAT1 indirectly activated the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway through DDX5 and this led to CRC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have also been discovered to regulate tumor growth and cell proliferation. Similarly, different miRNAs have various influences on the progression of CRC. Further studies are required to understand the impact and influences of lncRNAs and miRNAs and potentially how they may serve as diagnostic and therapeutic targets for CRC patients.
Understanding the molecular mechanisms of colorectal cancer remains complex and further studies are required to develop a deeper understanding to improve the prognosis and survival rate. This Research Topic aims to discuss the molecular mechanisms involved in the progression of colorectal cancer. Topics of interest include:
-The role and effects of oncogenes in CRC
-The role of long non-coding RNAs and miRNAs
-Signaling pathways in CRC
-Impact and influence of tumor suppressors in the progression of CRC
-Epithelial mesenchymal transition and tumor microenvironment
Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.
