DCLK1 as a Promising Marker for Radioresistance in Colorectal Cancer

Excerpt

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is considered third in terms of frequency and second regarding of mortality, where it has been estimated, over 1.8 million new colorectal cancer cases and 881,000 deaths occurred in 2018 [1]. It has been accepted that radiation therapy (RT) is a highly efficient method of cancer therapy by which DNA damage in tumor cells inhibits their capacity to divide and proliferate more [2]. Nevertheless, in spite of available new therapeutic techniques, a high number of patients still suffer relapse, largely as a result of intrinsic resistance of tumor cells to radiation. Hence, it is crucial to elucidate the causative mechanism(s) and develop new therapeutic strategies to improve the radiosensitivity of CRC cells [3]. Accordingly, novel therapeutic radiosensitizers are urgently needed for overcoming tumor radioresistance and thus improving the outcome of radiotherapy [4]. …