In the present study, the expression of β-catenin, leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 (LGR5) and GATA6 was investigated during the transition from normal mucosa through to adenoma and adenocarcinoma in colorectal tissue sections obtained from 65 patients with a pathological diagnosis of colorectal adenocarcinoma and a history of adenoma.
Limited reports in the literature have shown that the variant of colorectal cancer demonstrated a different pattern of genetic alterations of common growth kinase-related oncogenes (K-ras, BRAF), tumour suppressor genes (p53, p16), gene methylation and cell adhesion-related genes related to the Wingless signalling pathway (E-cadherin and beta-catenin) from conventional colorectal adenocarcinoma.