title: Targeting the hedgehog pathway: role in cancer and clinical implications of its inhibition.
abstract: The Hedgehog (Hh) pathway is a signaling cascade that is evolutionally highly conserved and plays an important role in embryonic pattern formation and stem cell response to tissue damage. Given the pivotal role the Hh pathway plays in embryonic development in terms of proliferation and differentiation, it is not surprising that it has also been implicated in tumorigenesis and tumor growth acceleration in a vast variety of malignancies. This article summarizes the mechanism of Hh pathway signal transduction, discusses the models of pathway activation, reviews the clinical data using Hh inhibitors, and discusses challenges to the development of pathway inhibitors.
authors.affiliation: Division of GI Oncology, NYU Cancer Institute, 160 East 34th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA. Deirdre.Cohen@nyumc.org
authors.forename: Deirdre J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins