PIK3CA and cancer: Furthermore, the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway is frequently activated in malignant tumors, including CRC, by growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases, by activating gene mutations of KRAS or phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase, catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA), or by loss of function of the phosphatase PTEN [15, 16].