Colorectal Cancer Therapeutics and the Challenges of Applied Pharmacogenomics Basics of Colorectal Carcinoma

摘要

The human colon is lined with rapidly dividing epithelial cells that are separated into individual compartments called crypts. The average human colon contains roughly 10~7 crypts. Each 1000- to 4000-cell crypt contains from 1 to 10 stem cells which divide, differentiate, mature, and migrate toward the gut lumen. Progression toward tumorigenesis begins with individual crypt lesions that progress into small adenomatous polyps. Over time, these adenomas increase in size. A percentage of these adenomas can transform into carcinomas, which if left untreated, advance into metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC).