Current Therapies and New Targets to Fight Melanoma: A Promising Role for the beta 3-Adrenoreceptor

Melanoma is one of the most aggressive types of cancer and the most deadly skin cancer. According to World Health Organization, about 132,000 melanoma skin cancers occur globally each year. Thanks to the efficacy of new therapies, life expectation has been improved over the last years. However, some malignant melanomas still remain unresponsive to these therapies. The beta-adrenergic system, among its many physiological roles, has been recognized as the main mediator of stress-related tumorigenic events. In particular, catecholamine activation of beta-adrenergic receptors (beta-ARs) affects several processes that sustain cancer progression. Among the beta-AR subtypes, the beta 3-AR is emerging as an important regulator of tumorigenesis. In this review, we summarize data of different experimental studies focused on beta 3-AR involvement in tumor development in various types of cancer and, particularly, in melanoma. Taken together, the preclinical evidences reported in this review demonstrate the crucial role of beta 3-AR in regulating the complex signaling network driving melanoma progression. Therefore, a need exists to further disseminate this new concept and to investigate more deeply the role of beta 3-AR as a possible therapeutic target for counteracting melanoma progression at clinical level.