Advances in mechanisms for inflammation-associated colon carcinogenesis and chemoprevention

Colorectal cancer is a common malignant tumor of digestive tract, and the risk of inflammatory bowel disease developing into colorectal cancer is significantly increased. Immune signaling pathways NF-κB, IL-6/STAT3, COX-2/PGE2, IL-23/Th17 and TLRs have been confirmed to promote the transformation from colitis to colorectal cancer. NOD2 and intestinal microbes also participate in the regulation of inflammation mediated carcinogenesis. Chronic inflammation is a potential risk for colorectal cancer, and anti-inflammatory drugs may play a chemical preventive role. In this review, we summarize the signaling pathways involved in inflammation-associated colon carcinogenesis and evaluate the chemoprophylaxis of colon cancer.