Pathways of Colorectal Carcinogenesis
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Updated: Jan 5, 2026

Deficient Pms2, ERCC1, Ku86, CcOI in Field Defects During Progression to Colon Cancer
Published on: July 28, 2010
Long H Nguyen1, Ajay Goel2, Daniel C Chung3
1Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Abstract:
Colorectal cancer is a heterogeneous disease that develops via stepwise accumulation of well-characterized genetic and epigenetic alterations. We review the genetic changes associated with the development of precancerous colorectal adenomas and their progression to tumors, as well as the effects of defective DNA repair, chromosome instability, microsatellite instability, and alterations in the serrated pathway and DNA methylation. We provide insights into the different molecular subgroups of colorectal tumors that develop via each of these different mechanisms and their associations with patient outcomes.
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