Inflammatory stress and sarcomagenesis: a vicious interplay

Cell Stress Chaperones. 2014 Jan;19(1):1-13. doi: 10.1007/s12192-013-0449-4. Epub 2013 Aug 27.

Abstract

Chronic inflammation represents one of the hallmarks of cancer, but its role in sarcomagenesis has long been overlooked. Sarcomas are a rare and heterogeneous group of tumors of mesenchymal origin accounting for less than 1 % of cancers in adults but 21 % of cancers in the pediatric population. Sarcomas are associated with bad prognosis, and their management requires a multidisciplinary team approach. Several lines of evidence indicate that inflammation has been implicated in sarcomagenesis leading to the activation of the key transcription factors HIF-1, NF- κB, and STAT-3 involved in a complex inflammatory network. In the past years, an increasing number of new targets have been identified in the treatment of sarcomas leading to the development of new drugs that aim to interrupt the vicious connection between inflammation and sarcomagenesis. This article makes a brief overview of preclinical and clinical evidence of the molecular pathways involved in the inflammatory stress response in sarcomagenesis and the most targeted therapies.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Carcinogenesis*
  • Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Inflammation Mediators / metabolism
  • Inflammation* / metabolism
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Sarcoma / drug therapy
  • Sarcoma / metabolism*
  • Sarcoma / pathology
  • Signal Transduction
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism

Substances

  • Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors
  • Inflammation Mediators
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • Transcription Factors