The protein kinase STK17A plays a novel role in epithelial cells and its loss may contribute to colorectal cancer invasion and metastasis, Vanderbilt researchers report.

A large-scale study conducted among East Asians and led by Vanderbilt researchers has identified multiple, previously unknown genetic risk factors for colorectal cancer.

Vanderbilt researchers have characterized the functional transfer of long RNAs between colorectal cancer cells — a form of cell-cell communication that may contribute to cancer aggressiveness.

Calcium intake appears to protect against colorectal cancer in individuals with certain gene variants, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.

Vanderbilt investigators have discovered a novel non-genetic cause of resistance to the targeted anti-cancer therapy cetuximab. Their findings, reported this week in Nature Medicine, suggest a strategy for overcoming this resistance.

Vanderbilt researchers have found that red blood cell membrane fatty acid content is associated with risk of having colorectal adenomas, with omega-6 fatty acids increasing and omega-3 fatty acids decreasing risk.

Vanderbilt’s Robert Coffey Jr., M.D., has received an Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) — more than $6.6 million over seven years — to support studies aimed at advancing the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC), a leading cancer killer.