Programmed cell death in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Mechanisms and therapeutic targets

Shen''er Qian; Guolin Tan; Guang Lei; Xiaowei Zhang; Zuozhong Xie

doi:10.1016/j.bbcan.2025.189265

Programmed cell death in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Mechanisms and therapeutic targets

Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer. 2025 Jan 12:189265. doi: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2025.189265. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Shen''er Qian¹, Guolin Tan², Guang Lei³, Xiaowei Zhang⁴, Zuozhong Xie⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
² Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
³ Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
⁴ Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. Electronic address: xiaowei-zhang@csu.edu.cn.
⁵ Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. Electronic address: zuozhongxie@csu.edu.cn.

PMID: 39809344
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2025.189265

Abstract

Programmed cell death is a type of autonomic and orderly cell death mode controlled by genes that maintain homeostasis and growth. Tumor is a typical manifestation of an imbalance in environmental homeostasis in the human body. Currently, several tumor treatments are designed to trigger the death of tumor cells. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is one of the most common malignant tumors in China. It displays obvious regional and ethnic differences in its incidence, being typically high in the south and low in the north of China. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is currently considered to be a polygenic inherited disease and is often mediated by the interaction between multiple genes or between genes and the environment. Apoptosis has long been considered the key to tumor treatment, while other cell death pathways have often been overlooked. The current study provides an overview of the relationship among apoptosis, autophagy, pyroptosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and the regulatory pathways of nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on five cell death modes were synthesized from the view of molecule. We hope this review will help explore additional, novel programmed cell death targets for the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and thus promote in-depth research.

Keywords: Clinical transformation; Mechanisms; Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; Programmed cell death; Therapeutic targets.

Publication types

Review