The significance of unstable chromosomes in colorectal cancer
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026

Deficient Pms2, ERCC1, Ku86, CcOI in Field Defects During Progression to Colon Cancer
Published on: July 29, 2010
Harith Rajagopalan1, Martin A Nowak, Bert Vogelstein
1Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21231, USA.
Abstract:
A very large fraction of cancers have an abnormal genetic content, called aneuploidy, which is characterized by changes in chromosome structure and number. One explanation for this aneuploidy is chromosomal instability, in which cancer cells gain or lose whole chromosomes or large fractions of chromosomes at a greatly increased rate compared with normal cells. Here, we explore experimental and theoretical evidence for the initiation of chromosomal instability in very early colorectal cancers, and reflect on the role that chromosomal instability could have in colorectal tumorigenesis.
Related Concept Videos
Abnormal Proliferation
Microtubule Instability
Separation of Sister Chromatids
At the onset of anaphase, separase, a proteolytic enzyme, is...
Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Loss of Tumor Suppressor Gene Functions
When the tumor suppressor genes develop mutations or are lost, cells start growing out of control, leading to cancer. However, a single functional copy of the tumor suppressor gene is enough for the cells to maintain their normal functions and cell...

