Colorectal Cancer: Genetics is Changing Everything

Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 2016 Sep;45(3):459-76. doi: 10.1016/j.gtc.2016.04.005.

Abstract

Cancer is fundamentally a genetic disease caused by mutational or epigenetic alterations in DNA. There has been a remarkable expansion of the molecular understanding of colonic carcinogenesis in the last 30 years and that understanding is changing many aspects of colorectal cancer care. It is becoming increasingly clear that there are genetic subsets of colorectal cancer that have different risk factors, prognosis, and response to treatment. This article provides a general update on colorectal cancer and highlights the ways that genetics is changing clinical care.

Keywords: Colorectal cancer; Genetics; Prevention; Review; Screening; Survivorship; Treatments.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein / genetics
  • Aftercare
  • Chromosomal Instability / genetics*
  • Colonoscopy
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / therapy
  • Colorectal Neoplasms, Hereditary Nonpolyposis / diagnosis
  • Colorectal Neoplasms, Hereditary Nonpolyposis / genetics
  • Colorectal Neoplasms, Hereditary Nonpolyposis / therapy
  • CpG Islands*
  • DNA Methylation / genetics*
  • Early Detection of Cancer
  • Humans
  • Microsatellite Instability
  • Mutation
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) / genetics

Substances

  • APC protein, human
  • Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein
  • KRAS protein, human
  • BRAF protein, human
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)