title: The role of MTDH/AEG-1 in the progression of cancer.
abstract: Cancer progression is driven by an accumulation of numerous genetic and epigenetic alterations in cancer cells themselves as well as constructional changes in their microenvironment. Metadherin (MTDH)/Astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) has emerged in recent years as a key contributor to the carcinogenic process in diverse organs and tissues. As a multifunctional mediator of carcinogenesis, MTDH/AEG-1 has been found to be involved in multiple signaling pathways, such as: PI3K/Akt, NF-κB, Wnt/β-catenin and MAPK. Overexpression of MTDH/AEG-1 is observed in a variety of cancers belonging to all biological systems, and has crucial relevance with cancer progression, including initiation, proliferation, invasion, metastasis and chemoresistance. In addition, a plethora of studies have convincingly demonstrated that MTDH/AEG-1 overexpression markedly correlates with poor clinical prognosis. These findings suggest that MTDH/AEG-1 may be used as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of cancer, monitoring of cancer progression, and target therapies which may simultaneously inhibit tumor growth, block metastasis, and intensify the efficacy of chemotherapeutic treatments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University Jinan 250012, Shandong, China ; Department of Hematology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Qingdao 266003, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University Jinan 250012, Shandong, China ; Institute of Diagnostics, Shandong University Jinan 250012, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: MTDH/AEG-1; cancer progression; carcinogenesis; signaling pathway; target therapy