Department of Otolaryngology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, 12700 E 19th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
J Oncol. 2012;2012:450179. doi: 10.1155/2012/450179. Epub 2012 May 16.
Activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway is one of the most frequently observed molecular alterations in many human malignancies, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). A growing body of evidence demonstrates the prime importance of the PI3K pathway at each stage of tumorigenesis, that is, tumor initiation, progression, recurrence, and metastasis. Expectedly, targeting the PI3K pathway yields some promising results in both preclinical studies and clinical trials for certain cancer patients. However, there are still many questions that need to be answered, given the complexity of this pathway and the existence of its multiple feedback loops and interactions with other signaling pathways. In this paper, we will summarize recent advances in the understanding of the PI3K pathway role in human malignancies, with an emphasis on HNSCC, and discuss the clinical applications and future direction of this field.
磷脂酰肌醇-3-激酶 (PI3K) 通路的激活是许多人类恶性肿瘤中最常见的分子改变之一，包括头颈部鳞状细胞癌 (HNSCC)。越来越多的证据表明，PI3K 通路在肿瘤发生的每个阶段，即肿瘤起始、进展、复发和转移中都具有重要作用。可以预期，针对 PI3K 通路的治疗在某些癌症患者的临床前研究和临床试验中取得了一些有希望的结果。然而，鉴于该通路的复杂性以及其与其他信号通路之间存在的多个反馈回路和相互作用，仍有许多问题需要解答。本文将总结目前对 PI3K 通路在人类恶性肿瘤中的作用的理解进展，重点关注 HNSCC，并讨论该领域的临床应用和未来方向。
