Abstract
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for 90% of all kidney cancers. Due to poor diagnosis, high resistance to the systemic therapies and the fact that most RCC cases occur sporadically, current research switched its focus on studying the molecular mechanisms underlying RCC. The aim is the discovery of new effective and less toxic anti-cancer drugs and novel diagnostic markers. Besides the PI3K/Akt/mTOR, HGF/Met and VHL/hypoxia cellular signaling pathways, the involvement of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in RCC is commonly studied. Wnt signaling and its targeted genes are known to actively participate in different biological processes during embryonic development and renal cancer. Recently, studies have shown that targeting this pathway by alternating/inhibiting its intracellular signal transduction can reduce cancer cells viability and inhibit their growth. The targets and drugs identified show promising potential to serve as novel RCC therapeutics and prognostic markers. This review aims to summarize the current status quo regarding recent research on RCC focusing on the involvement of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and how its understanding could facilitate the identification of potential therapeutic targets, new drugs and diagnostic biomarkers.
Highlights
IntroductionKidney cancer is the ninth most common cancer in men worldwide, and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is thought to be the main kidney malignancy with higher occurrence in males than females [1]
Kidney cancer is the ninth most common cancer in men worldwide, and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is thought to be the main kidney malignancy with higher occurrence in males than females [1].The occurrence rate varies between countries and still has been increasing in most regions, like Central and South America, during the past 10 years [1]
RCC is revealed as a heterogeneous group of tumors, which are classified into subtypes of which clear cell RCC (75%–80%) is the most common one
Summary
Kidney cancer is the ninth most common cancer in men worldwide, and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is thought to be the main kidney malignancy with higher occurrence in males than females [1]. Mutation [4,5,6,7] can induce changes in the expression of the Wnt signaling molecules, which are linked to renal malignancy. These findings highlight the potential prognostic and therapeutic value of especially the Wnt signaling pathway in RCC. We aim to emphasize the importance of Wnt signaling as a possible drug target, which may facilitate better treatment of RCC and the development of improved therapies
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