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Netrin-1 as a potential target for metastatic cancer: focus on colorectal cancer

Cancer and Metastasis Reviews volume 33, pages 101–113 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

Despite advanced screening technology and cancer treatments available today, metastasis remains an ongoing major cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Typically, colorectal cancer is one of the cancers treatable by surgery in conjunction with chemotherapy when it is detected at an early stage. However, it still ranks as the second highest modality and mortality of cancer types in western countries, and this is mostly due to a recurrence of metastatic colorectal cancer post-resection of the primary malignancy. Colorectal cancer metastases predominantly occur in the liver and lung, and yet the molecular mechanisms that regulate these organ-specific colorectal cancer metastases are largely unknown. Therefore, the identification of any critical molecule, which triggers malignancy in colorectal cancer, would be an excellent target for treatment. Netrin-1 was initially discovered as a chemotropic neuronal guidance molecule, and has been marked as a regulator for many cancers including colorectal cancer. Here, we summarise key findings of the role of netrin-1 intrinsic to colorectal cancer cells, extrinsic to the tumour microenvironment and angiogenesis, and consequently, we evaluate netrin-1 as a potential target molecule for metastasis.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the Curtin Academic50 grant support to CRD. The authors would also like to acknowledge the support provided by the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science Postgraduate Research Scholarship at Victoria University to SYK.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

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Affiliations

  1. College of Health and Biomedicine, Victoria University, St Albans, 3021, Australia

    Suh Youn Ko & Gregory L. Blatch

  2. School of Pharmacy, Curtin University, Bldg 306, Bentley, 6102, Australia

    Crispin R. Dass

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  1. Suh Youn Ko
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  2. Gregory L. Blatch
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  3. Crispin R. Dass
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Correspondence to Crispin R. Dass.

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Ko, S.Y., Blatch, G.L. & Dass, C.R. Netrin-1 as a potential target for metastatic cancer: focus on colorectal cancer. Cancer Metastasis Rev 33, 101–113 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10555-013-9459-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10555-013-9459-z

Keywords

  • Metastasis
  • Colorectal cancer
  • Netrin-1
  • Netrin-1 receptors
  • Angiogenesis
  • Microenvironment