Cancer cell survival and cell cycle pathways

Cancer cell survival and cell cycle pathways encompass the complex regulatory networks that control cellular proliferation and resistance to programmed cell death (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer, DOI: 10.1038/nrc.2016.2). The cell cycle is driven by the sequential activation of Cyclin-Dependent Kinases (CDKs), which are frequently dysregulated in various malignancies to allow for unchecked division and genomic instability (Source: StatPearls, NBK534224). Survival signaling, often mediated by the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and MAPK/ERK cascades, allows cancer cells to bypass growth-inhibitory signals and survive under metabolic stress or therapeutic pressure (Source: Cell, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.03.035). Pharmacological targeting of these pathways involves a wide array of drugs, such as CDK4/6 inhibitors like palbociclib and pro-apoptotic agents like venetoclax, which aim to restore normal growth control or trigger apoptosis (Source: FDA, Drugs@FDA). While effective, these therapies often face challenges such as acquired resistance through pathway bypass and systemic toxicities like myelosuppression due to the pathways' essential roles in normal hematopoiesis (Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology, DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2017.75.1388). Consequently, this entry represents a broad functional category of therapeutic nodes rather than a single molecular target.

Other names

Cell cycle signalingApoptosis and survival pathwaysOncogenic proliferative pathwaysTumor cell survival mechanisms

Inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinases, anti-apoptotic proteins, and upstream signaling kinases to induce cell cycle arrest or apoptosis.