Molecular genetics of colorectal cancer.

Colorectal tumours constitute an excellent system to study carcinogenesis and the molecular events implicated in the development of cancer. Attending to the way it is transmitted, colorectal cancer may appear in one of three forms: sporadic, familial, and hereditary. The sporadic form is most common and has no familial or hereditary associated factor thus far, while familial and hereditary forms show the same inheritance pattern. Hereditary colorectal cancers develop by means of defined stages that go from lesions in the crypt of the colon through adenomas to manifest cancer. They are characterised by the accumulation of multiple mutations in tumour suppressor genes and oncogenes that affect the balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis. The colorectal carcinogenesis pathway is not unique and there are probably several ways for the initiation, development and progression of colorectal tumours.