Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents the second cause of cancer-related death in Western countries. Several genetic and environmental (e.g. lifestyle) risk factors are known to predispose to CRC. The step-by-step development and progression of cancer (caused by sequential genetic and epigenetic alterations) has been extensively studied (see the Fearon & Vogelstein model). Furthermore, several Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS)  have revealed the existence of genetic polymorphisms. However, the latter only confer a limited increased relative risk to develop CRC.

Our aim is to unravel the molecular mechanisms facilitating cell transformation, and the potential role of the microenvironment to promote or inhibit tumorigenesis. This study relies on innovative and genome-wide approaches, with the ultimate goal of obtaining new tools for early diagnosis and prognosis.

Whilst early stages of colon cancer are generally cured by surgery, an important proportion of patients with an advanced (invasive) disease are deceased within five years following the initial diagnosis, stressing the importance of designing new tools for earlier detection and better prognosis.

Morphological evolution over time of the earliest lesions found in Apc-mutated mice