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Updated: Nov 24, 2025

A Sensitive Method to Quantify Senescent Cancer Cells
Published on: August 2, 2013
Senescence: A program in the road to cell elimination and cancer
Olga Moiseeva1, Jordan Guillon2, Gerardo Ferbeyre2
1Laboratory of Enzymatic Degradation of Organic Compounds, G.K. Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms of RAS, Federal Research Center, Pushchino Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Nauki 5, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142290, Russia.
Abstract:
Senescence is a tumor suppressor response that prevents the proliferation of mutated cells and alert the immune system for their elimination. However, this program is not perfect and with time additional genetic and epigenetic changes can impair tumor suppression and promote cancer progression both in cell autonomous and non-cell autonomous manners. A polyploid barrier is implemented in senescent cells to further prevent cell expansion but polyploid cells can generate highly malignant tumor cells via de-polyploidization. The nuclear lamina can act as an additional fail safe to prevent cancer in these cells and drugs able to stabilize the nuclear lamina may help to treat cancers by preventing senescence escape.
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