Important signalling pathways that are frequently disrupted in CRC, such as the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β (Naber et al, 2008), bone morphogenic protein (BMP; Hardwick et al, 2008) and Wnt pathway (Macheda and Stacker, 2008), play a role in both the cancer-associated stromal and epithelial compartment in the development of CRC. This evidence concerns the gene TGFB1 and cancer.