title: PPAR Gamma in Neuroblastoma: The Translational Perspectives of Hypoglycemic Drugs.
abstract: Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common and aggressive pediatric cancer, characterized by a remarkable phenotypic diversity and high malignancy. The heterogeneous clinical behavior, ranging from spontaneous remission to fatal metastatic disease, is attributable to NB biology and genetics. Despite major advances in therapies, NB is still associated with a high morbidity and mortality. Thus, novel diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic approaches are required, mainly to improve treatment outcomes of high-risk NB patients. Among neuroepithelial cancers, NB is the most studied tumor as far as PPAR ligands are concerned. PPAR ligands are endowed with antitumoral effects, mainly acting on cancer stem cells, and constitute a possible add-on therapy to antiblastic drugs, in particular for NB with unfavourable prognosis. While discussing clinical background, this review will provide a synopsis of the major studies about PPAR expression in NB, focusing on the potential beneficial effects of hypoglycemic drugs, thiazolidinediones and metformin, to reduce the occurrence of relapses as well as tumor regrowth in NB patients.
authors: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Advanced Biotechnologies, IRCCS-ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione), Palermo, Italy.
authors: Serena
authors: 0000-0001-9477-9294
authors: S
authors: Vella
authors: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Advanced Biotechnologies, IRCCS-ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione), Palermo, Italy; Fondazione Ri.MED, Palermo, Italy.
authors: Pier Giulio
authors: PG
authors: Conaldi
authors: Section of Pharmacology, Department of Internal Medicine (DiMI) and Center of Excellence for Biomedical Research (CEBR), University of Genova, Genova, Italy.
authors: Tullio
authors: 0000-0002-2394-996X
authors: T
authors: Florio
authors: Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genova, Genova, Italy; IRCCS-AOU San Martino-IST, Genova, Italy.
authors: Aldo
authors: 0000-0001-8035-9299
authors: A
authors: Pagano