title: Molecular classification of colorectal carcinomas: the genotype-to-phenotype relation.
abstract: Colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) are frequently found in industrialized countries and lead to a high incidence of malignancy-related mortality. Defined by histomorphological features, CRCs and their pre-invasive lesions are quite heterogeneous. The underlying molecular mechanisms include genomic instability, genomic mutation of tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes, epigenetic changes, and the microRNA network. The molecular mechanisms are guided by repeated clonal selections. The genotype-to-phenotype relation is assumed to be the great challenge of cancer research and the development of effective targeted therapies. At present a strong genotype-to-phenotype relation is characterized only for a minority of CRCs. Consequently, the molecular characterization of CRCs is essential to interpret histological patterns and to identify prognostic groups as well as patients for targeted therapy.
authors.affiliation: Elke Kaemmerer, Christina Klaus, Min Kyung Jeon, Nikolaus Gassler, Institute of Pathology, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Elke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kaemmerer
authors.affiliation: Elke Kaemmerer, Christina Klaus, Min Kyung Jeon, Nikolaus Gassler, Institute of Pathology, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Klaus
authors.affiliation: Elke Kaemmerer, Christina Klaus, Min Kyung Jeon, Nikolaus Gassler, Institute of Pathology, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Min Kyung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.affiliation: Elke Kaemmerer, Christina Klaus, Min Kyung Jeon, Nikolaus Gassler, Institute of Pathology, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Nikolaus
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gassler
mesh_terms: D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D042822:Genomic Instability; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D010641:Phenotype; D057285:Precision Medicine; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D015398:Signal Transduction
keywords: Carcinogenesis; Colorectal cancer; Molecular pathology