Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Risk of Colorectal Cancer: An Overview From Pathophysiology to Pharmacological Prevention

Marianna Lucafò; Debora Curci; Martina Franzin; Giuliana Decorti; Gabriele Stocco

doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.772101

Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Risk of Colorectal Cancer: An Overview From Pathophysiology to Pharmacological Prevention

Front Pharmacol. 2021 Oct 20:12:772101. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.772101. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Marianna Lucafò¹, Debora Curci¹, Martina Franzin², Giuliana Decorti^{1

2}, Gabriele Stocco³

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Maternal and Child Health-IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Trieste, Italy.
² Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
³ Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.

Abstract

Increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients has been attributed to long-standing chronic inflammation, with the contribution of genetic alterations and environmental factors such as the microbiota. Moreover, accumulating data indicate that IBD-associated CRC (IBD-CRC) may initiate and develop through a pathway of tumorigenesis distinct from that of sporadic CRC. This mini-review summarizes the current knowledge of IBD-CRC, focusing on the main mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis, and on the important role of immunomodulators and biologics used to treat IBD patients in interfering with the inflammatory process involved in carcinogenesis.

Keywords: colorectal cancer; epigenetics; immunomodulators; inflammation; inflammatory bowel deases; microbiota.

Publication types

Review