Abstract
Calcium ions (Ca2+) are central in cancer development and growth, serving as a major signaling system determining the cell’s fate. Therefore, the investigation of the functional roles of ion channels in cancer development may identify novel approaches for determining tumor prognosis. Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that develops from the serosal surface of the body, strictly related to asbestos exposure. The treatment of malignant mesothelioma is complex and the survival outcomes, rather than the overall survival data are, to date, disappointedly daunting. Nevertheless, conventional chemotherapy is almost ineffective. The alteration in the expression and/or activity of Ca2+ permeable ion channels seems to be characteristic of mesothelioma cells. In this review, we explore the involvement of the Ca2+toolkit in this disease. Moreover, the established sensitivity of some Ca2+channels to selective pharmacological modulators makes them interesting targets for mesothelioma cancer therapy.
Highlights
Cancer cells embody characteristics that allow them to survive beyond their normal life span and to proliferate abnormally, presenting defects in the mechanisms underlying cellular growth, migration, and death [1].Calcium ions (Ca2+ ) play a pivotal role in these processes, acting as principal signalling agent and the expression of Ca2+ channel transcripts have been highlighted as a potential biomarker in the growing number of cancers [2,3]
It is becoming clear that Ca2+ channels/transporters/pumps play a pivotal role in a huge number of neoplasms
Deregulated Ca2+ homeostasis could act like a “driver”, rather than a “passenger”
Summary
Cancer cells embody characteristics that allow them to survive beyond their normal life span and to proliferate abnormally, presenting defects in the mechanisms underlying cellular growth, migration, and death [1]. Calcium ions (Ca2+ ) play a pivotal role in these processes, acting as principal signalling agent and the expression of Ca2+ channel transcripts have been highlighted as a potential biomarker in the growing number of cancers [2,3]. The investigation of the functional roles of ion channels in cancer development may identify novel approaches for determining tumour prognosis [5] and the discovery that alteration in key Ca2+ -transport molecules could underlie pathological changes, might provide promising targets for treatment of tumours. Ca2+ expression is still a novel research area in oncology, and in particular for mesothelioma, prompt development of the field ensures the advancement of improved molecular Ca2+ transport-targeting tools for the diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma patients.
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