Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cancer worldwide and CRC-related death is mainly attributed to metastasis. Many cellular signaling pathways have been demonstrated to be aberrant in colorectal tumors, and some of them lead to the acquisition of malignant phenotypes. Therefore, the evaluation of signaling pathways implicated in CRC metastasis is urgent for further understanding of CRC progression and pharmacotherapy. This review focuses on several novel cellular signaling pathways associated with CRC metastasis, including Wnt/β-catenin, p53, COX, TGF-β/Smad, NF-κB, Notch, VEGF and JAKs/STAT3 signaling pathways. Targeted agents developed based on these pathways are also briefly discussed.
Keywords: colorectal cancer; metastasis; molecular mechanisms; signaling pathways; therapeutic agents.