Abstract
Current knowledge of tumor biology offers many "targets" for therapeutic intervention. The molecular basis of many processes that play a role in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer has been identified. One part of colorectal cancer clinical trials is focused on testing substances in a group of patients with tumors in which the TGF-β signalling pathway is hyperactivated. The TGF-β/SMAD signalling pathway members are considered important markers; however, genetic, proteomic, or metabolomic analyses still yield controversial results. According to our results, TGF-βRII, and SMAD4 can be used in monitoring CRC progression. With increasing CRC stage, TGF-βRII expression decreases and SMAD4 expression increases. The patients with TGF-βRII expression lower than 700 pg/ml had a slightly lower survival time (28.103 months) than patients with higher TGF-βRII expression (31.620 months). Conversely, patients with SMAD4 expression lower than 200 pg/ml had a higher survival rate (30.979 months) than patients with higher expression (26.316 months). Regarding TGF-β1 expression, the patient´s survival assessment determined no significant difference between patients with high or low tissue TGF-β1 expression. A personalized approach and consideration of a wide range of factors are important when using these markers in treatment assessment.