Researchers at Wilmington, Del.-based ChristianaCare’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute identified a developmental genetic pattern tied to colorectal cancer growth, aggressiveness and patient survival, according to a news release shared with Becker’s by the system May 26.
The study found that disruptions in WNT and retinoic acid signaling caused colon stem cells to stop maturing and overgrow, leading to changes in HOX genes that drive cancer growth and resistance. The HOX gene network contains 39 transcription factors involved in embryonic development.