成体组织为细胞之间的持续战斗奠定了基础，细胞适应性的比较导致较弱的“失败者”细胞被淘汰。这种现象称为细胞竞争，有利于组织完整性和体内平衡。事实上，细胞竞争通过消除早期恶性细胞，作为上皮细胞防御癌症的一部分，在肿瘤抑制中发挥着至关重要的作用。然而，越来越明显的是，细胞竞争同时也是一种肿瘤促进机制。细胞竞争的比较性质意味着突变背景、增殖率和极性都是决定这些过程结果的因素。在这篇综述中，我们探讨了细胞竞争在稳态和再生以及原发性和转移性结直肠癌的发生和进展过程中复杂且依赖于环境的参与。我们全面概述了控制细胞竞争的分子和细胞机制及其与再生的相似之处。© 2024。作者。

Adult tissues set the scene for a continuous battle between cells, where a comparison of cellular fitness results in the elimination of weaker "loser" cells. This phenomenon, named cell competition, is beneficial for tissue integrity and homeostasis. In fact, cell competition plays a crucial role in tumor suppression, through elimination of early malignant cells, as part of Epithelial Defense Against Cancer. However, it is increasingly apparent that cell competition doubles as a tumor-promoting mechanism. The comparative nature of cell competition means that mutational background, proliferation rate and polarity all factor in to determine the outcome of these processes. In this review, we explore the intricate and context-dependent involvement of cell competition in homeostasis and regeneration, as well as during initiation and progression of primary and metastasized colorectal cancer. We provide a comprehensive overview of molecular and cellular mechanisms governing cell competition and its parallels with regeneration.© 2024. The Author(s).