J Cancer Prev.  2020 Dec;25(4):213-222. 10.15430/JCP.2020.25.4.213.

Recent Advances in the Development of TGF-β Signaling Inhibitors for Anticancer Therapy

• Lee HJ

• KMID: 2510150
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.15430/JCP.2020.25.4.213

Abstract

TGF-β is a multifunctional cytokine that plays an important role in both physiologic and pathologic processes, including cancer. Importantly, TGF-β has a dual role in tumorigenesis, acting as a tumor suppressor or a tumor promoter, depending on the stage of tumor development. The aberrantly upregulated production of TGF-β has been strongly implicated in tumor progression, angiogenesis, and metastasis, as well as immune evasion. Therefore, hyperactivated TGF-β signaling is considered a potential therapeutic target for cancer therapy. Numerous inhibitors of overactivated TGF-β signaling have been developed, and some of them are currently in clinical trials. This review focuses on the TGF-β signaling that contributes to tumor progression and immune evasion in the tumor microenvironment and presents recent achievements on TGF-β signaling inhibition as a single or combined therapeutic approach in cancer therapy.

Keyword

TGF-β; Tumor microenvironment; Tumor escape; Antineoplastic agents; Immune checkpoint inhibitors