# LGR5

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/lgr5/  
OnCo record `lgr5` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

A marker of stem cells in the gut and of stem-like cells in tumours, used to aim drugs at the cells that regrow a cancer.

## Summary

LGR5, leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5, is a Wnt target gene that marks intestinal stem cells and stem-like cells in tumours, the cells thought to regrow a cancer after treatment. In head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and colorectal cancer it is being used to aim drugs at those cells: petosemtamab binds LGR5 and uses that binding to degrade EGFR selectively in tumour cells, and LGR5-directed antibody-drug conjugates have also been explored. Readers meet the term on the petosemtamab drug page, in the LiGeR-HN1 trial and within the Wnt and beta-catenin pathway. It is also part of the wider story of cancer stem cells and phenotypic plasticity.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-07

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGR5
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGR5

## Connected records

- cancers: [Colorectal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/colorectal/), [Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/head-and-neck/)
- drugs: [Petosemtamab](https://onco.cc/drugs/petosemtamab/)
- pathways: [Cancer stem cells & phenotypic plasticity](https://onco.cc/pathways/cancer-stem-cells-plasticity/), [Wnt / β-catenin](https://onco.cc/pathways/wnt/)
- trials: [LiGeR-HN1](https://onco.cc/trials/liger-hn1/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/lgr5.json