Inflammatory bowel disease and intestinal cancer: a paradigm of the Yin–Yang interplay between inflammation and cancer

Colon cancer represents a paradigm for the connection between inflammation and cancer in terms of epidemiology and mechanistic studies in preclinical models. Key components of cancer promoting inflammation include master transcription factors (for example, nuclear factor κB, STAT3), proinflammatory cytokines (for example, tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-6 (IL-6)), cyclooxygenase-2 and selected chemokines (for example, CCL2). Of no less importance are mediators that keep inflammation in check, including IL-10, transforming growth factorβ, toll-like receptor and the IL-1 receptor inhibitor TIR8/SIGIRR, and the chemokine decoy and scavenger receptor D6. Dissection of molecular pathways involved in colitis-associated cancer may offer opportunities for innovative therapeutic strategies.