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World J Gastrointest Oncol. Nov 15, 2026; 18(11): 125273
Published online Nov 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.125273
Published online Nov 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.125273
Inflammation-driven carcinogenesis in ulcerative colitis: Molecular and immunological pathways
Paulina Delgado-Gonzalez, Adriana G Quiroz-Reyes, Verónica L Loaiza-Gutiérrez, Elsa N Garza-Treviño, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico
Mario A Simental-Mendía, Orthopedic Trauma Service, University Hospital Dr. José Eleuterio González, School of Medicine, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico
Co-corresponding authors: Paulina Delgado-Gonzalez and Elsa N Garza-Treviño.
Author contributions: Delgado-González P supervised and directed the development of the manuscript; Quiroz-Reyes AG designed the tables and figures, conducted the literature analysis, and contributed to manuscript writing; Simental-Mendía MA analyzed the literature and contributed to manuscript writing Loaiza-Gutiérrez VL drafted the manuscript and designed the tables; Garza-Treviño EN critically reviewed, edited, and revised the manuscript; Delgado-González P and Garza-Treviño EN they contributed equally to this article, they are the co-corresponding authors of this manuscript; and all authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript
AI contribution statement: Portions of this manuscript were edited using AI tools solely for language refinement. The authors carefully reviewed and verified all AI-assisted outputs and take full responsibility for the scientific content of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Paulina Delgado-Gonzalez, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, s/n, Monterrey 64460, Nuevo León, Mexico. paulina.delgadogn@uanl.edu.mx
Received: July 3, 2026
Revised: July 21, 2026
Accepted: August 18, 2026
Published online: November 15, 2026
Processing time: 117 Days and 3.7 Hours
Revised: July 21, 2026
Accepted: August 18, 2026
Published online: November 15, 2026
Processing time: 117 Days and 3.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Chronic inflammation in ulcerative colitis disrupts immune balance and gut microbiota, leading to reactive oxygen species production and driving molecular changes that foster colorectal cancer like cell growth, anti-apoptosis. This article synthesizes immunological, inflammatory, and molecular mechanisms in ulcerative colitis-associated carcinogenesis highlights risk factors such dysbiosis, biomarker identification, genomic instability, immune evasion and therapeutic implications for cancer prevention, while outlining future research directions to improve diagnostics and treatment.