LGR5 and colorectal carcinoma: Collectively, these findings indicate that loss of differentiation in CRC likely occurs as part of a continuum, marked by the loss of colonic epithelial transcription factors and differentiation markers including markers of LGR5+ colonic stem cells, and simultaneous acquisition of a proliferative phenotype along with markers of fetal-like intestinal stem cells and non-canonical markers including those typically expressed by mesenchymal cells.