Open AccessMolecular classification of colorectal carcinomas: The genotype-to-phenotype relation
Author(s) -
Elke Kaemmerer,
Christina Klaus,
Min Hyok Jeon,
Nikolaus Gaßler
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
world journal of gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.427
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 2219-2840
pISSN - 1007-9327
DOI - 10.3748/wjg.v19.i45.8163
Subject(s) - genotype , phenotype , colorectal cancer , epigenetics , biology , malignancy , microsatellite instability , genome instability , cancer , cancer research , gene , genetics , allele , dna damage , dna , microsatellite
Colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) are frequently found in industrialized countries and lead to a high incidence of malignancy-related mortality. Defined by histomorphological features, CRCs and their pre-invasive lesions are quite heterogeneous. The underlying molecular mechanisms include genomic instability, genomic mutation of tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes, epigenetic changes, and the microRNA network. The molecular mechanisms are guided by repeated clonal selections. The genotype-to-phenotype relation is assumed to be the great challenge of cancer research and the development of effective targeted therapies. At present a strong genotype-to-phenotype relation is characterized only for a minority of CRCs. Consequently, the molecular characterization of CRCs is essential to interpret histological patterns and to identify prognostic groups as well as patients for targeted therapy.