Intestinal Stem Cell Imaging in Colorectal Cancer Screening
November 2013
in “
Journal of Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
”
TLDR Imaging intestinal stem cells might help detect early signs of colorectal cancer.
The document discussed the potential role of intestinal stem cell imaging in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. It highlighted that while the genetic progression from adenoma to carcinoma was well-understood, the initiation and promotion mechanisms of tumors were not fully elucidated. Murine studies suggested that intestinal tumors originated from normal intestinal stem cells that acquired oncogenic mutations. The document proposed that abnormalities in the stem cell compartment could be the earliest detectable phenotypic changes in tumorigenesis, and hypothesized that imaging these abnormalities could be integrated into CRC screening strategies.