Faculty of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, D02 YN77 Dublin, Ireland.
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON M5G 1Z5, Canada.
Genes (Basel). 2023 Dec 16;14(12):2225. doi: 10.3390/genes14122225.
Colon cancer (CRC) is a prevalent malignancy that exhibits distinct differences in incidence, prognosis, and treatment responses between males and females. These disparities have long been attributed to hormonal differences, particularly the influence of oestrogen signalling. This review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying sex differences in colon cancer and the protective role of membrane and nuclear oestrogen signalling in CRC development, progression, and therapeutic interventions. We discuss the epidemiological and molecular evidence supporting sex differences in colon cancer, followed by an exploration of the impact of oestrogen in CRC through various genomic and nongenomic signalling pathways involving membrane and nuclear oestrogen receptors. Furthermore, we examine the interplay between oestrogen receptors and other signalling pathways, in particular the Wnt/β-catenin proliferative pathway and hypoxia in shaping biological sex differences and oestrogen protective actions in colon cancer. Lastly, we highlight the potential therapeutic implications of targeting oestrogen signalling in the management of colon cancer and propose future research directions to address the current gaps in our understanding of this complex phenomenon.
结肠癌(CRC)是一种常见的恶性肿瘤,其在男性和女性中的发病率、预后和治疗反应存在明显差异。这些差异长期以来归因于激素差异,特别是雌激素信号的影响。本综述旨在全面分析目前对结肠癌中性别差异的分子机制以及膜性和核性雌激素信号在 CRC 发生、发展和治疗干预中的保护作用的理解的最新进展。我们讨论了支持结肠癌中性别差异的流行病学和分子证据,接着探讨了雌激素通过涉及膜性和核性雌激素受体的各种基因组和非基因组信号通路在 CRC 中的作用。此外,我们研究了雌激素受体与其他信号通路之间的相互作用,特别是 Wnt/β-catenin 增殖途径和缺氧在塑造结肠癌中生物学性别差异和雌激素保护作用方面的相互作用。最后,我们强调了靶向雌激素信号在结肠癌管理中的潜在治疗意义,并提出了未来的研究方向,以解决我们对这一复杂现象理解的当前差距。