Reactive Oxygen Species Modulation in the Current Landscape of Anticancer Therapies

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biochemistry
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are crucial for cellular redox balance, regulating normal cell growth.
• Cancer cells exhibit altered ROS levels, leading to oxidative stress, genomic instability, and aberrant signaling.
• The interplay between ROS, oncogenic signaling, tumor microenvironment, and DNA damage response (DDR) is critical in cancer progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the multifaceted role of ROS in cancer.
• To explore ROS modulation as a therapeutic strategy against cancer.
• To discuss current and emerging therapeutic modalities targeting ROS in cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on the interactions between ROS, oncogenic signaling, tumor microenvironment, and DDR pathways.
• Analysis of 'antioxidant' and 'pro-oxidant' approaches in cancer therapy.
• Examination of various therapeutic modalities, including direct ROS-inducing agents, chemotherapy, targeted therapies, DDR therapies, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy.
• Discussion of novel delivery systems like nanosensitizers.

Main Results:

• While antioxidant approaches have limited evidence for routine use, pro-oxidant strategies show promise by exploiting cancer-specific vulnerabilities.
• Therapeutic modalities including chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy can induce oxidative stress.
• Emerging technologies like nanosensitizers are being developed to enhance radiotherapy efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Modulating ROS offers a promising strategy for enhancing existing anticancer treatments and developing novel therapeutic opportunities.
• Pro-oxidant approaches targeting cancer vulnerabilities demonstrate potential in overcoming resistance to conventional therapies.
• Further research is needed to refine ROS-based treatment strategies, optimize drug combinations, and identify predictive biomarkers for patient selection.