Introduction to special issue: Mechanisms and targets for prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common form of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In the United States, it is also ranked third in cancer incidence and also is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality. It is estimated that there will be 102,480 and 40,340 new cases of colon and rectal cancer in the United States in 2013 with approximately 50,830 deaths from CRC combined. Current treatments for CRC consists of surgical resection most often combined with chemotherapy and/or radiation for more advanced stages. However, a significant number of patients experience recurrent disease with less successful treatment options. Therefore, new strategies for the treatment of CRC are needed. In addition, several promising molecular targets have been identified for prevention of CRC and offer hope that clinically efficacious chemopreventive agents will be available in the future, especially for high-risk populations. In this Special Issue of Molecular Carcinogenesis, we highlight a number of articles that deal with understanding mechanisms associated with CRC development and progression. The goal of these studies is to identify molecular targets for prevention and/or treatment of CRC.