Benefits and Challenges of Inhibiting EZH2 in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive thoracic cancer that is mainly associated with prior exposure to asbestos fibers. Despite being a rare cancer, its global rate is increasing and the prognosis remains extremely poor. Over the last two decades, despite the constant research of new...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Cancers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/15/5/1537 |
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| author | MHD Ouis Al Khatib Giulia Pinton Laura Moro Chiara Porta |
| author_facet | MHD Ouis Al Khatib Giulia Pinton Laura Moro Chiara Porta |
| author_sort | MHD Ouis Al Khatib |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive thoracic cancer that is mainly associated with prior exposure to asbestos fibers. Despite being a rare cancer, its global rate is increasing and the prognosis remains extremely poor. Over the last two decades, despite the constant research of new therapeutic options, the combination chemotherapy with cisplatin and pemetrexed has remained the only first-line therapy for MPM. The recent approval of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB)-based immunotherapy has opened new promising avenues of research. However, MPM is still a fatal cancer with no effective treatments. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is a histone methyl transferase that exerts pro-oncogenic and immunomodulatory activities in a variety of tumors. Accordingly, a growing number of studies indicate that EZH2 is also an oncogenic driver in MPM, but its effects on tumor microenvironments are still largely unexplored. This review describes the state-of-the-art of EZH2 in MPM biology and discusses its potential use both as a diagnostic and therapeutic target. We highlight current gaps of knowledge, the filling of which will likely favor the entry of EZH2 inhibitors within the treatment options for MPM patients. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:29:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f6eb07bf41da4f6bbb9607dcdd39df84 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6694 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:29:19Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cancers |
| spelling | doaj.art-f6eb07bf41da4f6bbb9607dcdd39df842023-11-17T07:25:27ZengMDPI AGCancers2072-66942023-02-01155153710.3390/cancers15051537Benefits and Challenges of Inhibiting EZH2 in Malignant Pleural MesotheliomaMHD Ouis Al Khatib0Giulia Pinton1Laura Moro2Chiara Porta3Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro”, 28100 Novara, ItalyDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro”, 28100 Novara, ItalyDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro”, 28100 Novara, ItalyDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro”, 28100 Novara, ItalyMalignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive thoracic cancer that is mainly associated with prior exposure to asbestos fibers. Despite being a rare cancer, its global rate is increasing and the prognosis remains extremely poor. Over the last two decades, despite the constant research of new therapeutic options, the combination chemotherapy with cisplatin and pemetrexed has remained the only first-line therapy for MPM. The recent approval of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB)-based immunotherapy has opened new promising avenues of research. However, MPM is still a fatal cancer with no effective treatments. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is a histone methyl transferase that exerts pro-oncogenic and immunomodulatory activities in a variety of tumors. Accordingly, a growing number of studies indicate that EZH2 is also an oncogenic driver in MPM, but its effects on tumor microenvironments are still largely unexplored. This review describes the state-of-the-art of EZH2 in MPM biology and discusses its potential use both as a diagnostic and therapeutic target. We highlight current gaps of knowledge, the filling of which will likely favor the entry of EZH2 inhibitors within the treatment options for MPM patients.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/15/5/1537EZH2malignant pleural mesotheliomaepigenetictumor microenvironmentmacrophagesimmune infiltrate |
| spellingShingle | MHD Ouis Al Khatib Giulia Pinton Laura Moro Chiara Porta Benefits and Challenges of Inhibiting EZH2 in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Cancers EZH2 malignant pleural mesothelioma epigenetic tumor microenvironment macrophages immune infiltrate |
| title | Benefits and Challenges of Inhibiting EZH2 in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma |
| title_full | Benefits and Challenges of Inhibiting EZH2 in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma |
| title_fullStr | Benefits and Challenges of Inhibiting EZH2 in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma |
| title_full_unstemmed | Benefits and Challenges of Inhibiting EZH2 in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma |
| title_short | Benefits and Challenges of Inhibiting EZH2 in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma |
| title_sort | benefits and challenges of inhibiting ezh2 in malignant pleural mesothelioma |
| topic | EZH2 malignant pleural mesothelioma epigenetic tumor microenvironment macrophages immune infiltrate |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/15/5/1537 |
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