ijms-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies of Colorectal Cancer

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2026 | Viewed by 524

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Multidisciplinar Group in Traslational Oncology (GMOT), Balearic Islands University (UIB), 07122 Palma, Spain
2. Balearic Islands Health Research Institute (IdISBa), 07010 Palma, Spain
Interests: oxidative stress; estrogen; phytoestrogens; cancer cells; personalized treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains one of the most prevalent and lethal malignancies worldwide, necessitating advancements in understanding its underlying mechanisms and therapeutic strategies. This Special Issue, entitled “Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies of Colorectal Cancer”, aims to gather innovative research on the molecular and cellular processes driving the development, progression, and resistance of CRC to treatment. This Special Issue will particularly focus on novel biomarkers for early detection, the role of the tumor microenvironment, advancements in immunotherapy, and innovative therapeutic approaches that target signaling pathways. Contributions that explore precision medicine strategies, the potential application of phytochemicals or bioactive compounds as adjuvant therapies, and the use of extracellular vesicles for intercellular communication are particularly welcome. By integrating multidisciplinary perspectives, this Special Issue seeks to highlight breakthroughs that can translate into improved clinical outcomes for CRC patients.

Dr. Daniel Gabriel Pons
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • colorectal cancer
  • tumor microenvironment
  • biomarkers
  • intercellular communication
  • therapeutic strategies

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

22 pages, 4133 KiB  
Article
Multiomics Signature Reveals Network Regulatory Mechanisms in a CRC Continuum
by Juan Carlos Higareda-Almaraz, Francesco Mattia Mancuso, Pol Canal-Noguer, Kristi Kruusmaa and Arianna Bertossi
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(15), 7077; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157077 - 23 Jul 2025
Viewed by 260
Abstract
Sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC), the third leading cause of cancer-related death globally, arises through a continuum from normal tissue to adenomas, progressing from low-grade (LGD) to high-grade dysplasia (HGD); yet, the early epigenetic drivers of this transition remain unclear. To investigate these events, [...] Read more.
Sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC), the third leading cause of cancer-related death globally, arises through a continuum from normal tissue to adenomas, progressing from low-grade (LGD) to high-grade dysplasia (HGD); yet, the early epigenetic drivers of this transition remain unclear. To investigate these events, we profiled LGD and HGD adenomas using EM-seq, and identified a consensus differential methylation signature (DMS) of 626 regions through two independent bioinformatics pipelines. This signature effectively distinguished LGD from HGD in both tissue and plasma-derived cell-free DNA (cfDNA), highlighting specific methylation patterns. Functional annotation indicated enrichment for regulatory elements associated with transcription factor activity and cell signaling. Applying the DMS to the TCGA CRC dataset revealed three tumor subtypes with increasing hypermethylation and one normal cluster. The most hypermethylated subtype exhibited poor survival, high mutation burden, and disrupted transcriptional networks. While overlapping with classical CpG Island Methylator Phenotype (CIMP) categories, the DMS captured a broader spectrum of methylation alterations. These findings suggest that the DMS captures functionally relevant, antecedent epigenetic alterations in CRC progression, enabling the robust stratification of dysplasia severity and tumor subtypes. This signature holds promise for enhancing preclinical detection and molecular classification, and warrants further evaluation in larger prospective cohorts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies of Colorectal Cancer)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop