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The significance of unstable chromosomes in colorectal cancer

Nature Reviews Cancer volume 3, pages 695–701 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

A very large fraction of cancers have an abnormal genetic content, called aneuploidy, which is characterized by changes in chromosome structure and number. One explanation for this aneuploidy is chromosomal instability, in which cancer cells gain or lose whole chromosomes or large fractions of chromosomes at a greatly increased rate compared with normal cells. Here, we explore experimental and theoretical evidence for the initiation of chromosomal instability in very early colorectal cancers, and reflect on the role that chromosomal instability could have in colorectal tumorigenesis.

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Figure 1: A step-wise model of colorectal tumorigenesis.
Figure 2: The timing of CIN.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, 21231, Maryland, USA

    Harith Rajagopalan, Bert Vogelstein & Christoph Lengauer

  2. the Institute for Theoretical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, 02138, Massachusetts, USA

    Martin A. Nowak

Authors
  1. Harith Rajagopalan
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  2. Martin A. Nowak
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  4. Christoph Lengauer
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Correspondence to Christoph Lengauer.

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Cancer.gov

breast cancer

colorectal cancer

pancreatic cancers

prostate cancer

LocusLink

APC

β-catenin

BRAF

BUB1

KRAS

MAD2

p53

TGF-β

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Rajagopalan, H., Nowak, M., Vogelstein, B. et al. The significance of unstable chromosomes in colorectal cancer. Nat Rev Cancer 3, 695–701 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc1165

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