Cytoskeletal Dynamics in Cancer: From Pathogenesis to Treatment

Cancer remains a major global health burden despite recent advances in early diagnosis and novel therapeutics. The cytoskeleton is a dynamic filamentous network that controls cell morphology, motility, and intracellular trafficking; in normal cells, its activity is tightly regulated, whereas in cancer, it undergoes aberrant remodeling that fuels uncontrolled proliferation, metastatic dissemination, resistance to apoptosis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. These pathological changes are associated with Rho guanosine triphosphatases (Rho GTPases) cascades, Hippo/Yes-associated protein (YAP) signaling, and other mechanosensitive pathways. However, a comprehensive understanding of how cytoskeletal dynamics integrate with these signaling networks and the tumor microenvironment to drive malignant progression and modulate treatment responses is still lacking. This review systematically addresses this gap by dissecting the diverse contributions of the cytoskeleton to tumor proliferation, invasion, programmed cell death, and angiogenesis, and by clarifying how mechanical signals synergize with cytoskeletal rearrangements to enhance aggressive behaviors. It further evaluates the modulatory effects of cytoskeletal components on the efficacy of conventional chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and molecular targeted therapy, and summarizes the clinical evidence for microtubule‑stabilizing and destabilizing drugs. Taken together, this study offers fresh perspectives on the intricate interplay between the cytoskeleton and cancer, and provides an important reference for the current field of cancer research.