Epigenetic Drug Therapy in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers with a high rate of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The incidence of CRC is similar in men and women but is distributed uniformly globally. It has been demonstrated that epigenetic alterations which may cause changes in the expression of microRNA, DNA methylation and histone acetylation that results in inheritable modifications in gene expression in colorectal epithelial cells, plays a crucial role in the development of CRC. Recently, targeting epigenetic modification has emerged as a potentially important treatment approach in CRC. The US Food and Drug Association has approved the use of some epigenetic drugs that may be able to inhibit or reverse these alterations and also enhance sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents and radiotherapy in CRC. In this review we have summarized the recent pre-clinical and clinical trial studies investigating the therapeutic value of using epigenetic drugs as novel therapeutic approach in CRC treatment.

Association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and colorectal cancer

“…It is expected that about 2.2 million new CRC cases are diagnosed annually with more than 1 million cancer deaths projected for 2030 [3]. The 5-year survival rate varies with the stage at which it diagnosed, being approximately 90% in early stage of disease, and less than 10% in advanced stage [4].…”

Epigenetic Approach on Colorectal Cancer Systemic Therapy: Promising yet a Long Way to Go

“…In CRC, aberrant DNA methylation occurs in CpG dinucleotides, giving the name of CpG island methylation phenotype (CIMP) (10). CpG islands are DNA segments with approximately 1 000 base pairs long complemented with at least 50 % cytosines and guanines (9,11). They are commonly unmethylated (12).…”

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“…Targeted therapy refers to revolutionized therapeutics that interfere with specific molecules to block cancer growth, progression, and metastasis [66]. Many of the FDA approved molecular targeted therapies have shown clinical success in the treatment of myriad cancer types, including breast cancer [67], leukemia [68], colorectal cancer [69], lung cancer [70], and ovarian cancer [71]. At the same time, a combination of two targeted treatments has become a trend in current clinical therapy.…”