Escape from senescence: molecular basis and therapeutic ramifications

Konstantinos Evangelou, Konstantinos Belogiannis, Angelos Papaspyropoulos, Russell Petty, Vassilis G. Gorgoulis (Lead / Corresponding author)

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    12 Citations (Scopus)
    73 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Cellular senescence constitutes a stress response mechanism in reaction to a plethora of stimuli. Senescent cells exhibit cell-cycle arrest and altered function. While cell-cycle withdrawal has been perceived as permanent, recent evidence in cancer research introduced the so-called escape-from-senescence concept. In particular, under certain conditions, senescent cells may resume proliferation, acquiring highly aggressive features. As such, they have been associated with tumour relapse, rendering senescence less effective in inhibiting cancer progression. Thus, conventional cancer treatments, incapable of eliminating senescence, may benefit if revisited to include senolytic agents. To this end, it is anticipated that the assessment of the senescence burden in everyday clinical material by pathologists will play a crucial role in the near future, laying the foundation for more personalised approaches. Here, we provide an overview of the investigations that introduced the escape-from-senescence phenomenon, the identified mechanisms, as well as the major implications for pathology and therapy.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)649-665
    Number of pages17
    JournalThe Journal of Pathology
    Volume260
    Issue number5
    Early online date7 Aug 2023
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Aug 2023

    Keywords

    • cellular senescence
    • senescence escape
    • cancer
    • pathology
    • senolytics
    • therapy

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Pathology and Forensic Medicine

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