Tumor Heterogeneity in Primary Colorectal Cancer and Corresponding Metastases. Does the Apple Fall Far From the Tree?

Frontiers in Medicine

Annika Blank¹ 

关键词: heterogeneity;    colorectal cancer;    metastases;    clonal evolution;    cancer stem cells;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmed.2018.00234

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Colorectal cancer harbors tremendous heterogeneity, with temporal and spatial differences in genetic mutations, epigenetic regulation, and tumor microenvironment. Analyzing the distribution and frequency of genetic, epigenetic, and microenvironment differences within a given tumor and between different sites of a metastatic tumor has been used as a powerful tool to investigate tumorigenesis, tumor progression, and to yield insight into various models of tumor development. A better understanding of tumor heterogeneity would have tremendous clinical relevance, which may manifest most clearly when genetic analyses to inform treatment decisions are performed on a very limited sample of a large tumor. This review summarizes the current concepts of tumor heterogeneity, with a focus on primary colorectal cancers and their corresponding metastases as well as potential clinical implications.

【 授权许可】

CC BY