SMAD7 and colorectal carcinoma: Our systematic investigation identified 24 CRC-associated genes, including key regulators such as SMAD7 (a negative modulator of TGF-β signaling) [27,28], TCF7L2 (a critical component of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway) [29], and PYGL (a metabolic enzyme involved in glycogenolysis) [30,31].