Huang X-L, Fu C-J, Bu R-F
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
J Int Med Res. 2011;39(6):2061-6. doi: 10.1177/147323001103900601.
Circadian clocks are endogenous molecular time-keeping systems that underlie daily fluctuations in multiple physiological and biochemical processes. It is now well recognized that dysfunction of the circadian system may be associated with a heightened incidence of cancer. This brief review presents evidence supporting the important role played by circadian clocks in the development of cancer and the therapeutic efficacy of anticancer agents. A number of circadian clock genes have been identified, which include transcription factors that regulate gene expression. Continued research in this area should increase understanding of the role of circadian clocks which could, ultimately, reduce the incidence of cancer in people with disrupted sleep-wake cycles, such as 24-h shift workers and flight attendants, and provide optimal chronopharmacology for cancer treatment.
生物钟是内源性分子计时系统，是多种生理和生化过程每日波动的基础。现在人们已经充分认识到，生物钟系统功能障碍可能与癌症发病率升高有关。这篇简短的综述提供了证据，支持生物钟在癌症发生发展以及抗癌药物治疗效果中所起的重要作用。已经鉴定出许多生物钟基因，其中包括调节基因表达的转录因子。在这一领域的持续研究应能增进对生物钟作用的理解，这最终可能降低睡眠-清醒周期紊乱人群（如24小时轮班工作者和空乘人员）的癌症发病率，并为癌症治疗提供最佳时辰药理学。
