Wingless signaling pathway family relation to colon cancer. Have we come full circle?

Colorectal cancer CRC is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Advances in molecular techniques have provided deep insight into the molecular pathogenesis, biologic and genetic changes occurring in colon cancer patients. Current theories of malignant transformation postulate that development of colon cancer is related to 2 main pathways; the loss of heterozygosity pathway, which is usually due to a defect in the adenomatous polyposis coli APC gene and microsatellite instability, which is usually due to a defect in mismatch repair MMR genes. This review summarizes the role of the wingless signaling pathway genes including APC and MMR genes in the development of CRC.