title: The Role of Gender-specific Cytokine Pathways as Drug Targets and Gender- specific Biomarkers in Personalized Cancer Therapy.
abstract: The definition of personalized treatments in tumor disease could lead to an improvement of the therapeutic success rate. Therefore, biomarkers are urgently required in order to select the patients that could benefit from adjuvant therapies in the initial phase of the disease and to better define and treat the clinical/therapeutic subgroups in the advanced pathological phases. Disregulation of cytokine physiological network is directly involved in the genesis and progression of tumors. Cytokines are of central importance in the regulation of immune system, but they are rarely released singly: each cytokine is able to induce the production of many other factors leading to a network in which they cooperate with other cell regulators such as hormones and neuropeptides. For these reasons the research must be directed to the evaluation of the interrelationships between the different cytokines and their respective pathways, as well as their contribution to the disease aetiology and progression in order to identify real and effective drug targets and biomarkers. The T CD4+ helper cells (Th) have various subpopulations, among which Th1, Th2, Th3, Th9 and Th17, respectively produce cytokines. It has become clear that disorders within the interactions of the network of these cytokines can produce neoplastic diseases. Furthermore, studies focusing on gender have shown that the homeostasis of the immune system is controlled by pathways of cytokines that are different between sexes and defined for this reason "genderspecifics". Therefore, this perspective article aims to highlight the significance of these cytokine pathways in order to identify new clinical strategies and personalized therapy in neoplastic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Farmacologia Traslazionale (IFT), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Unita Operativa di Supporto (UOS), L'Aquila, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Berghella
authors.forename: Ida
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Contasta
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lattanzio
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Gregorio
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Campitelli
authors.forename: Marino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Silvino
authors.forename: Luigi Liborio
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Liberatore
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Navarra
authors.forename: Giampaolo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caterino
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mongelli
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vittorini
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Basta
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Domenicucci
authors.forename: Nunzia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Antonucci
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Del Beato
authors.forename: Enzo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Secinaro
authors.forename: Fabiana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ciccone
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D057285:Precision Medicine; D012737:Sex Factors; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines
keywords: Personalized therapy; cytokine physiological network; drug targets and biomarkers; genderspecific
  cytokine pathways.; tumor treatment