title: Targeting phosphoinositide 3-kinase signalling in lung cancer.
abstract: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide and more than 1 million people annually die in consequence of lung cancer. Although an improvement in lung cancer treatment could be achieved, especially in the last decade, the development of additional therapeutic strategies is urgently required in order to provide improved survival benefit for patients. Lung cancer formation is caused by genetic modifications commonly caused by tobacco smoking. Numerous studies have demonstrated the role of extracellular growth factors in lung cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and chemoresistance. Mutations and amplifications in molecules related to receptor tyrosine signalling, such as EGFR, ErbB2, c-Met, c-Kit, VEGFR, PI3K, and PTEN are only some of the alterations known to contribute to the development of lung cancer. The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway, fundamental for cell development, growth, and survival, is known to be frequently altered in neoplasia, including carcinomas of the lung. Based on the high frequency of alterations, which include mutations and amplifications, leading to over-activation of certain upstream/downstream mediators, targeting components of the PI3K signalling pathway is considered to be a promising therapeutic approach in cancer treatment. In this article we will summarize the current knowledge about the involvement of PI3K signalling in lung cancer and discuss the development of targeted therapies involving PI3K pathway inhibitors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Research, University of Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wojtalla
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arcaro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors