Title:Conventional Anticancer Therapeutics and Telomere Maintenance Mechanisms
Volume: 20
Issue: 41
Author(s): Orit Uziel and Meir Lahav
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Chemotherapy, telomeres, telomerase, radiotherapy.
Abstract: The telomere-telomerase system has a unique role in the biology of cancer. Telomere maintenance, mostly affected by the up
regulation of telomerase activity, is a prerequisite for perpetuation of malignant cells. This fundamental biologic feature defines telomere
maintenance as an attractive therapeutic target for most types of cancer. This review summarizes some critical aspects of telomere biology
with special emphasis on the connection to anticancer therapy. In particular, the effects on the telomere - telomerase system of conventional
anticancer treatments, including various cytotoxic drugs, targeted biological agents and radiotherapy, and their possible combination
with telomerase-directed therapy are discussed. Several potential problems, including side effects and complications inherent to
perturbations of telomere biology in normal cells, are also highlighted. In spite of significant progress in this field, there are still several
issues that have to be addressed and ultimately resolved in order to obtain a better characterization of the pros and cons of telomerasedirected
therapies and, consequently, their clinical relevance.
