Molecular and Therapeutic Landscapes in Colorectal Carcinoma

Dear Colleagues,

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most frequent cancer and the third most common cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. A high number of patients with CRC have already metastases at diagnosis, and metastatic CRC is mainly an incurable disease.

CRC is considered a heterogeneous multifactorial disease showing drastically different prognosis and response to treatment, indicating the relevance to understand specific pathways abnormalities to improve diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic strategies. The opportunity to identify specific biomarkers and to detect unambiguous molecular targets, associated to early signs of cancer, will be instrumental to develop new targeted therapies and to reduce mortality for CRC. Although, different critical genes and pathways have been related to pathogenesis of CRC, for many of these genomic alterations the prognostic and predictive roles are not known and do not influence treatment decision in the metastatic conditions. Recently, the identification of K-RAS and more recently of NRAS gene mutations is a widely accepted molecular test in the clinical treatment decisions for mCRC. BRAF V600E mutation has been approved as prognostic biomarker for identifying a cohort of patients who will have a more aggressive clinical outcome. Moreover, a relationship between MSI-high and an impressive response to immune checkpoint blockade with anti-PD1 therapy in mCRC patients has been established.

Consequently, a better understanding of the available data, a further investigation of the molecular mechanisms responsible for CRC pathogenesis, is vital in order to improve its prevention, clinical outcome, and therapy.

We invite you and your colleagues to submit your articles reporting on this topic. Original research articles or reviews aiming on the biochemical and molecular aspects associated with pathogenesis of the human CRC; identification of circulating/tissue biomarkers in early diagnosis and management of CRC patient; translational to clinical research on the innovative approaches for individualized therapy.

Prof. Dr. Antonio M Scanu
Prof. Dr. Maria Rosaria De Miglio
Guest Editors

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