Space Oncology: A Comprehensive Scoping Review.

Area of Science:

• Space biology and oncology
• Investigating the complex interplay between spaceflight stressors and cancer biology.

Background:

• Astronauts face unique space conditions, including microgravity and radiation, which can affect gene expression and cancer risk.
• Existing research often reviews these stressors in isolation, necessitating a comprehensive synthesis of their combined effects on cancer development.

Approach:

• Conducted a scoping review following the PRISMA-ScR checklist, searching five major databases until February 2024.
• Included 158 eligible studies out of 15,553 identified articles, with a focus on experimental, predominantly cell-based, research.

Key Points:

• Spaceflight stressors like microgravity and cosmic radiation have variable effects on biological systems.
• Microgravity impacts cancer cell growth and metastasis, while radiation can be both tumor-suppressive and mutagenic.
• Breast, thyroid, and hematopoietic cancers were most frequently studied.

Conclusions:

• Highlights the need for prolonged analog studies simulating space conditions to ensure astronaut safety and cancer risk assessment.
• Emphasizes the necessity of in-space research, including animal and human tissue studies, to fully elucidate the effects of space stressors on cancer.
• Suggests that understanding cancer cell responses to space environments may unlock novel therapeutic strategies.