Colorectal cancer (CRC) as a multifactorial disease and its causal correlations with multiple signaling pathways

Mao-Lin Wan; Yu Wang; Zhi Zeng; Bo Deng; Bi-Sheng Zhu; Ting Cao; Yu-Kun Li; Jiao Xiao; Qi Han; Qing Wu

doi:10.1042/BSR20200265

Colorectal cancer (CRC) as a multifactorial disease and its causal correlations with multiple signaling pathways

Biosci Rep. 2020 Mar 27;40(3):BSR20200265. doi: 10.1042/BSR20200265.

Authors

Mao-Lin Wan¹, Yu Wang², Zhi Zeng³, Bo Deng⁴, Bi-Sheng Zhu⁴, Ting Cao⁵, Yu-Kun Li⁶, Jiao Xiao⁷, Qi Han⁴, Qing Wu⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Xianning Central Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, 437000, P.R. China.
² Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, P.R. China.
³ Department of Pathology, Xianning Central Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, 437000, P.R. China.
⁴ Department of Oncology, Xianning Central Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, 437000, P.R. China.
⁵ Department of Digestive Medical, The Affiliated Nanhua Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, 421002, P.R. China.
⁶ Key Laboratory of Tumor Cellular and Molecular Pathology, College of Hunan Province, Cancer Research Institute, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, P.R. China.
⁷ Department of Endocrinology, The Affiliated Nanhua Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, 421002, P.R. China.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death among men worldwide. CRC is a multifactor digestive pathology, which is a huge problem faced not only by clinicians but also by researchers. Importantly, a unique feature of CRC is the dysregulation of molecular signaling pathways. To date, a series of reviews have indicated that different signaling pathways are disordered and have potential as therapeutic targets in CRC. Nevertheless, an overview of the function and interaction of multiple signaling pathways in CRC is needed. Therefore, we summarized the pathways, biological functions and important interactions involved in CRC. First, we investigated the involvement of signaling pathways, including Wnt, PI3K/Akt, Hedgehog, ErbB, RHOA, Notch, BMP, Hippo, AMPK, NF-κB, MAPK and JNK. Subsequently, we discussed the biological function of these pathways in pathophysiological aspects of CRC, such as proliferation, apoptosis and metastasis. Finally, we summarized important interactions among these pathways in CRC. We believe that the interaction of these pathways could provide new strategies for the treatment of CRC.

Keywords: CRC; interaction; metastasis; proliferation; signaling pathway.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Apoptosis
Cell Line, Tumor
Cell Proliferation
Colorectal Neoplasms / genetics*
Colorectal Neoplasms / metabolism*
Colorectal Neoplasms / physiopathology*
Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
Humans
Signal Transduction / genetics
Signal Transduction / physiology