Status quo of p53 in the treatment of tumors.

The p53 gene is pivotal for oncogenesis in a combination of mutations in oncogenes and antioncogenes. The ubiquitous loss of the p53 pathway in human cancers has generated considerable interest in developing p53-targeted cancer therapies, but current ideas and approaches targeting p53 are conflicting. Current researches focus on cancer-selective drugs with therapeutic strategies that both activate and inhibit p53. As p53 is ubiquitously lost in human cancers, the strategy of exogenous p53 addition is reasonable. However, p53 acts not equally in all cell types; thus, individualized p53 therapy is the direction of future research. To clarify the controversies on p53 for improvement of future antitumor studies, the review focuses on the available technological protocols, including their advantages and limitations in terms of future therapeutic use of p53 in the management of tumors.