In colon cancers that do not have APC mutations, we found a significant number of B-catenin gene mutations, which appear to result in similar overactivation of the pathway. This is what makes the discovery of this pathway so exciting. This condition is characterized by the formation of hundreds to thousands of polyps in the colon, some of which eventually become cancerous. Several years ago, the Hopkins researchers linked the development of FAP to mutations of the APC gene. Approximately 131,000 new cases of colon cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year, and approximately 37,000 people will die from the disease.
Colon cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women.