5-ASA increases replication fidelity in mononucleotide, dinucleotide, and tetranucleotide repeats and reduces mutations in tumor suppressor genes TGFBR2 and ACVR2, a finding that may provoke in vivo studies for the prevention of colorectal cancer in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer.
The present data suggest that the disruption of the transforming growth factor-beta super-family signaling pathway by the alteration of the ACVR2 and/or TGFbetaRII genes and the disruption of antiproliferative function by the PTHLH gene alteration contribute to the development of early colorectal cancer.