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Colorectal Cancer : The Third Most Common Cancer Among Men And Women Essay

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Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer among men and women in the United States, and mutations in the MUTYH gene significantly increase the risk of developing polyps that may evolve into cancer.1,2 Biallelic mutations in the MUTYH gene can lead to MYH-Associated Polyposis (MAP), which causes the growth of dozens to hundreds of polyps, furthering increasing the risk for colon cancer.2 Meanwhile, recent studies have shown that both biallelic and monoallelic mutations can contribute to bladder, ovarian, gastric, hepatobiliary, endometrial, and breast cancer.3 The MUTYH gene itself codes for the MYH glycosylase enzyme, which repairs mistakes in DNA caused by reactive oxygen species.3,4 Also a sign of oxidative stress, the oxidation product, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2-deoxyguanosine (OG), mimics thymine, eventually matching with adenine and resulting in a complete loss of the cytosine-guanine pair.4 MUTYH removes the undamaged A base from the mismatched pair, aiding in the correction of such damage.4 However, when MUTYH is mutated, there is an increase in G to T mutations, which can eventually affect the tumor suppressor genes APC and K-ras and lead to tumor formation.4 The MUTYH variants Y165C and G382D are the most common mutations seen in individuals with MAP, and for this reason are of great interest in research working towards reducing the risk of colorectal cancer.2,4 In recent years, the CRISPR/Cas system for gene editing has become the preferred method for

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