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©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Biol Chem. Mar 27, 2023; 14(2): 13-27
Published online Mar 27, 2023. doi: 10.4331/wjbc.v14.i2.13
Published online Mar 27, 2023. doi: 10.4331/wjbc.v14.i2.13
Molecular genetics of early-onset colorectal cancer
Olivia Marx, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States
Marc Mankarious, Department of Surgery, Division of Colon & Rectal Surgery, Pennsylvania State University Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, United States
Gregory Yochum, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology & Surgery, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States
Author contributions: Marx O and Mankarious M collected the data; Marx O, Mankarious M, and Yochum G wrote the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report having no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Gregory Yochum, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology & Surgery, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 500 University Ave, Hershey, PA 17033, United States. gsy3@psu.edu
Received: November 21, 2022
Peer-review started: November 21, 2022
First decision: December 13, 2022
Revised: December 20, 2022
Accepted: February 13, 2023
Article in press: February 13, 2023
Published online: March 27, 2023
Processing time: 122 Days and 17.2 Hours
Peer-review started: November 21, 2022
First decision: December 13, 2022
Revised: December 20, 2022
Accepted: February 13, 2023
Article in press: February 13, 2023
Published online: March 27, 2023
Processing time: 122 Days and 17.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) has a considerably different clinical presentation and genetic profile compared with later-onset colorectal cancer. Furthermore, molecular alterations in EOCRC tumors differ in patients from separate geographical locations and distinct ethnic groups. Small human cohorts and the lack of a suitable mouse model system limit EOCRC studies, however, several actionable clinical targets and biomarkers specific to EOCRC have been identified. In this review, we discuss molecular alterations in EOCRC tumors at the DNA, RNA, and protein levels, and suggest future work to examine how these changes contribute to EOCRC pathogenesis.