RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The significance of autophagy in colorectal cancer pathogenesis and implications for therapy
JF Journal of Clinical Pathology
JO J Clin Pathol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Association of Clinical Pathologists
SP 854
OP 858
DO 10.1136/jclinpath-2014-202529
VO 67
IS 10
A1 Lai, K
A1 Killingsworth, M C
A1 Lee, C S
YR 2014
UL http://jcp.bmj.com/content/67/10/854.abstract
AB Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers in developed countries with poor survival outcome in advanced stages of the disease due to its resistance to chemotherapy and other forms of treatment. New and alternative approaches are needed to overcome the tumour cells’ capacity for survival and to drive the tumour towards cell death. Autophagy is a mechanism involved in the elimination of damaged cellular components through lysosomal degradation and is capable of inducing programmed cell death. The process has recently gained much interest in understanding the pathogenesis of CRC and its potential for treatment of the disease due to its role in host protection and anticancer activity. This review describes and illustrates the fundamental mechanisms of autophagy, its importance as a prognostic marker and the current approaches to harness its protective and anticancer activity in CRC therapy.