title: Switching the sphingolipid rheostat in the treatment of diabetes and cancer comorbidity from a problem to an advantage.
abstract: Cancer and diabetes are among the most common diseases in western societies. Epidemiological studies have shown that diabetic patients have a significantly higher risk of developing a number of different types of cancers and that individuals with comorbidity (cancer and diabetes/prediabetes) have a poorer prognosis relative to nondiabetic cancer patients. The increasing frequency of comorbidity of cancer and diabetes mellitus, mainly type 2 diabetes, has driven the development of therapeutic interventions that target both disease states. There is strong evidence to suggest that balancing the sphingolipid rheostat, ceramide--sphingosine--sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is crucial in the prevention of diabetes and cancer and sphingosine kinase/S1P modulators are currently under development for the treatment of cancer and diabetes. This paper will highlight some of the complexities inherent in the use of the emerging sphingosine kinase/S1P modulators in the treatment of comorbidity of diabetes and cancer.
authors: The University of Queensland, The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia ; The Centenary Institute, Newtown, NSW, Australia ; Discipline of Dermatology, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
authors: Nikolas K
authors: NK
authors: Haass
authors: School of Medical and Molecular Biosciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia.
authors: Najah
authors: N
authors: Nassif
authors: School of Medical and Molecular Biosciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia ; Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia.
authors: Eileen M
authors: EM
authors: McGowan
mesh_terms: D015897:Comorbidity; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control; D013107:Sphingolipids / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D013107:Sphingolipids