Senescent Cells in Cancer Therapy: Friends or Foes?
Open accessAbstract
Several cancer interventions induce DNA damage and promote senescence in cancer and nonmalignant cells. Senescent cells secrete a collection of proinflammatory factors collectively termed the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). SASP factors are able to potentiate various aspects of tumorigenesis, including proliferation, metastasis, and immunosuppression. Moreover, the accumulation and persistence of therapy-induced senescent cells can promote tissue dysfunction and the early onset of various age-related symptoms in treated cancer patients. Here, we review in detail the mechanisms by which cellular senescence contributes to cancer development and the side effects of cancer therapies. We also review how pharmacological interventions to eliminate senescent cells or inhibit SASP production can mitigate these negative effects and propose therapeutic strategies based on the age of the patient.
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Several SASP factors are associated with pro-tumorigenic processes, including chronic inflammation, mitogenic signalling, stemness, angiogenesis, migration and invasion, genotoxicity and immunosuppression.
“Several SASP factors are associated with pro- tumorigenic processes, including chronic inflam mation, mitogenic signalling, stemness, angiogenesis, migration and invasion, genotoxicity and immuno sup pression 84,156 (Supplementary Table1 and Fig.2 ).”
From Senescence and cancer — role and therapeutic opportunities (2022) · cites this paper as [156]
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- Authors
- Wang, B., Kohli, J., & Demaria, M.
- Affiliations
- University Medical Center Groningen (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Demaria, Marco
- Venue
- Trends in Cancer
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-10
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 838-857
- ISSN
- 2405-8025 (ISSN-L)
- 2405-8033
- OpenAlex
- W3029435888
- Cited by
- 508
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 50 · 2025: 90 · 2024: 115 · 2023: 80 · 2022: 92 · 2021: 69 · 2020: 12
- FWCI
- 8.08
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Trends in cancer (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- KWF Kankerbestrijding
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Aging › Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Genetics › Mesenchymal stem cell research
- Keywords
- cellular senescence, senescence-associated secretory phenotype, cancer treatment side effects, DNA damage, carcinogenesis, metastasis, immunosuppression, tissue dysfunction, age-related symptoms, senolytics, pharmacological interventions, patient age
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Neoplasms, Cellular Senescence, Carcinogenesis
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