Smoking promotes the progression of colorectal cancer via CKAP2L/STAT3/AREG/EGFR axis

Smoking is a major risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC). But the underlying molecular mechanisms by which smoking promotes CRC remain unclear. The positive association between smoking and CRC was confirmed by both cross-sectional study and mendelian randomization analyses. RNA-seq sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were conducted to identify the key genes involved in smoking-induced CRC progression. After treatment with cigarette smoke extract (CSE) in CRC cells, cell proliferation and metastasis were enhanced. Subsequently, we isolated the total RNA of HCT116 cells treated with CSE and subjected it to the RNA-seq to explore the differentially expressed genes. Overall design: RNA sequencing was performed on the wild type HCT116 cells and HCT116 cells treated with CSE.