Karolinska Institutet, Center for Biosciences and Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Novum, Huddinge, Sweden.
J Clin Invest. 2012 Feb;122(2):455-63. doi: 10.1172/JCI58779. Epub 2012 Feb 1.
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the skin, the most common malignancy in individuals of mixed European descent, is increasing in incidence due to an aging population and sun exposure habits. The realization that aberrant activation of Hedgehog signaling is a pathognomonic feature of BCC development has opened the way for exciting progress toward understanding BCC biology and translation of this knowledge to the clinic. Genetic mouse models closely mimicking human BCCs have provided answers about the tumor cell of origin, and inhibition of Hedgehog signaling is emerging as a potentially useful targeted therapy for patients with advanced or multiple BCCs that have hitherto lacked effective treatment.
皮肤基底细胞癌(BCC)是混合欧洲血统人群中最常见的恶性肿瘤,由于人口老龄化和阳光暴露习惯,其发病率正在上升。人们认识到 Hedgehog 信号通路的异常激活是 BCC 发展的特征性特征,这为理解 BCC 生物学和将这些知识转化为临床应用开辟了令人兴奋的进展之路。与人类 BCC 非常相似的遗传小鼠模型为肿瘤起源细胞提供了答案,抑制 Hedgehog 信号通路正在成为一种潜在有用的靶向治疗方法,适用于迄今为止缺乏有效治疗方法的晚期或多发性 BCC 患者。