Cysteinyl Leukotriene Pathway and Cancer.

Cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide, despite many advances being made in recent decades. Changes in the tumor microenvironment, including dysregulated immunity, may contribute to carcinogenesis and cancer progression. The cysteinyl leukotriene (CysLT) pathway is involved in several signal pathways, having various functions in different tissues. We summarized major findings of studies about the roles of the CysLT pathway in cancer. Many in vitro studies suggested the roles of CysLTs in cell survival/proliferation via CysLT receptor (CysLTR). CysLTR antagonism decreased cell vitality and induced cell death in several types of cancer cells, such as colorectal, urological, breast, lung and neurological malignancies. CysLTs were also associated with multidrug resistance of cancer, and CysLTR antagonism might reverse chemoresistance. Some animal studies demonstrated the beneficial effects of CysLTR antagonist in inhibiting tumorigenesis and progression of some cancer types, particularly colorectal cancer and lung cancer. The expression of CysLTR was shown in various cancer tissues, particularly colorectal cancer and urological malignancies, and higher expression was associated with a poorer prognosis. The chemo-preventive effects of CysLTR antagonists were demonstrated in two large retrospective cohort studies. In summary, the roles of the CysLT pathway in cancer have been delineated, whereas further studies are still warranted.