Journal
MEDICINAL RESEARCH REVIEWS
Volume 40, Issue 3, Pages 1002-1060Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/med.21646
Keywords
autophagy; autophagy modulators; biomarkers; esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; exosomes; oral squamous cell carcinoma; targeted therapy
Categories
Funding
- European Union's Horizon 2020 (EU) Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant [721906]
- Tuscany strategic project POR-FSE 2014 to 2020, Medicina di Precisione e Malattie Rare (MePreMaRe), (ACE-ESCC)
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) and esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) exhibit a survival rate of less than 60% and 40%, respectively. Late-stage diagnosis and lack of effective treatment strategies make both OSCC and ESCC a significant health burden. Autophagy, a lysosome-dependent catabolic process, involves the degradation of intracellular components to maintain cell homeostasis. Targeting autophagy has been highlighted as a feasible therapeutic strategy with clinical utility in cancer treatment, although its associated regulatory mechanisms remain elusive. The detection of relevant biomarkers in biological fluids has been anticipated to facilitate early diagnosis and/or prognosis for these tumors. In this context, recent studies have indicated the presence of specific proteins and small RNAs, detectable in circulating plasma and serum, as biomarkers. Interestingly, the interplay between biomarkers (eg, exosomal microRNAs) and autophagic processes could be exploited in the quest for targeted and more effective therapies for OSCC and ESCC. In this review, we give an overview of the available biomarkers and innovative targeted therapeutic strategies, including the application of autophagy modulators in OSCC and ESCC. Additionally, we provide a viewpoint on the state of the art and on future therapeutic perspectives combining the early detection of relevant biomarkers with drug discovery for the treatment of OSCC and ESCC.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available