title: [Current applications of dexamethasone for cancer treatment].
abstract: Dexamethasone is a synthetic glucocorticoid that is widely used in clinical due to its multiple pharmacological effects. Recently, dexamethasone is increasingly utilized in anti-cancer therapy. It is frequently used to prevent side effects of chemotherapy such as nausea, vomiting and pain, as well as to increase the anti-tumor activity of the cancer chemotherapeutic agents as a chemosensitizer and to inhibit tumor growth as an anti-cancer agent in some certain cancers. Dexamethasone produces the effects in anti-inflammation, anti-angiogenesis, control of estrogen activity and so on, by binding to glucocorticoid receptor to regulate gene expression of some important bio-signal molecules. Those signal pathways could interfere with the transcription of various factors which can regulate proliferation, invasion and metastasis of tumors.
authors.forename: Li-jie
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Tian-yan
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000932:Antiemetics; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D009325:Nausea; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014839:Vomiting
chemical_list: D000932:Antiemetics; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003907:Dexamethasone