Colorectal cancer: a researcher’s perspective of the molecular angel’s gone eccentric in the Vale of Kashmir

Colorectal cancer (CRC), being the most common cancer, is the major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. In Kashmir, CRC has been found to be the third most common gastrointestinal cancer after esophageal and gastric. The etiology of CRC involves two pathways: chromosomal instability (CIN) and microsatellite instability. CIN occurs in 80–85 % of CRC resulting in either gross changes in chromosome structure and number or point mutations in the chromosomes. Many molecular studies have been carried out on CRC in Kashmir so as to elucidate the role of tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes in modulating the carcinogenesis. We searched the various literature databases including Medline, PubMed, ASCO abstracts, and ESMO abstracts for the papers regarding colorectal cancer published in English using the terms “Kashmir,” “colorectal cancer,” “colon cancer,” “rectal cancer,” “carcinogenesis,” “epidemiology,” “genetics,” “mutation,” and “polymorphism.” Here in this review, I have shed light on the different studies carried on CRC in our Kashmiri population in an attempt to share what we know so far about the molecular carcinogenesis of CRC in Kashmir.