2nd Department of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Dig Dis. 2012;30(3):249-54. doi: 10.1159/000336914. Epub 2012 Jun 20.
Chronic inflammation is an important risk factor for the development of cancers. The link between chronic inflammation and the risk of developing cancer is now well established. At least 20% of all cancers arise in association with infection and chronic inflammation. Inflammation and cancer are linked both along intrinsic (driven by genetic events causing malignancy) and extrinsic (driven by inflammatory conditions predisposing to tumor) pathways. Proteinases are key contributors to the breakdown and reconstitution of extracellular matrix components in physiological processes and pathological conditions, including destructive diseases and tumor progression. Matrix metalloproteinases are especially essential in the complex process of coregulation between cellular components of the tumor environment, and they are considered as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in many types and stages of cancer. Although the link between chronic inflammation, proteinases and risk of developing cancer is now well established, several open questions remain. The most exciting challenge is to find the best approach to target cancer-associated inflammation in patients with cancer. With respect to matrix metalloproteinases, the development of a new generation of selective inhibitors is a promising area of research.
慢性炎症是癌症发展的一个重要危险因素。慢性炎症与癌症风险之间的联系现在已经得到充分证实。至少有 20%的癌症是与感染和慢性炎症相关的。炎症和癌症之间存在内在联系（由导致恶性肿瘤的遗传事件驱动）和外在联系（由易患肿瘤的炎症条件驱动）。蛋白酶在生理过程和病理条件下，包括破坏性疾病和肿瘤进展，是细胞外基质成分分解和重建的关键因素。基质金属蛋白酶在肿瘤环境中细胞成分的核心调节之间的复杂过程中特别重要，它们被认为是许多类型和阶段癌症的潜在诊断和预后生物标志物。尽管慢性炎症、蛋白酶与癌症风险之间的联系现在已经得到充分证实，但仍存在一些悬而未决的问题。最令人兴奋的挑战是找到针对癌症患者炎症的最佳方法。就基质金属蛋白酶而言，开发新一代的选择性抑制剂是一个很有前途的研究领域。
