Figure 2.

Effects of maintenance medications on driver gene mutations. Compared to not medicated CRC patients with metabolic dysregulation, medicated CRC patients with metabolic dysregulation are expected to have a greater number of driver gene mutations. Dependent upon the extent to which medications counteract the stimulatory effects of obesity on neoplastic development, the average number of driver gene mutations in medicated CRC patients with metabolic dysregulation may not differ in a statistically significant manner from the number of driver gene mutations in not medicated CRC patients without metabolic conditions. However, statistically significant lower numbers of driver gene mutations are expected in not medicated CRC patients with metabolic dysregulation. “N” is the difference in number of driver gene mutations (“X”) required for cancer development.