Role of Selected Transcription Factors in Pancreatic and Colorectal Cancer Growth and Metastasis

Abstract

The gastrointestinal cancers particularly, pancreatic cancer (PC) and colorectal cancer (CRC), are the widely diagnosed cancers with high mortality rate worldwide. Metastasis is the primary cause for mortality in patients of CRC and PC. The metastatic stages of these cancers are mainly due to the dysregulated activity of transcription factors like signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), and hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α). In this chapter, we have focused on the role of STAT3 and HIF-1α in the progression of CRC and PC. The prognosis of the patients is poorly associated with the overexpression of these transcription factors. They play a crucial role in developing resistance against therapeutic drugs and significantly resulting in the cancer recurrence. The hypoxic conditions developed by the activation of HIF-1α induces metastasis that later in the presence of a series of signaling cascades develops resistance. Similarly, STAT3 is also suggested as a biomarker for developing resistance against therapeutic drugs. They are also responsible for developing tumor microenvironment and promoting metastasis. In this chapter, we have focused on the role of STAT3 and HIF-1α that promote PC and CRC progression and metastasis.