Epigenetic therapy for colorectal cancer.

Aberrations in epigenome that include alterations in DNA methylation, histone acetylation, and miRNA (microRNA) expression may govern the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). These epigenetic changes affect every phase of tumor development from initiation to metastasis. Since epigenetic alterations can be reversed by DNA demethylating and histone acetylating agents, current status of the implication of epigenetic therapy in CRC is discussed in this article. Interestingly, DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTi) and histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) have shown promising results in controlling cancer progression. The information provided here might be useful in developing personalized medicine approaches.