Targeting Myc in Pediatric Malignancies of the Central and Peripheral Nervous System

Title: Targeting Myc in Pediatric Malignancies of the Central and Peripheral Nervous System

Volume: 9 Issue: 2

Author(s): Michael A. Grotzer, Deborah Castelletti, Giulio Fiaschetti, Tarek Shalaby and Alexandre Arcaro

Affiliation:

Keywords: Cancer, child, brain tumor, neuroblastoma, targeted therapies, Myc

Abstract: Myc family genes are often deregulated in embryonal tumors of childhood including medulloblastoma and neuroblastoma and are frequently associated with aggressive, poorly differentiated tumors. The Myc protein is a transcription factor that regulates a variety of cellular processes including cell growth and proliferation, cell cycle progression, differentiation, apoptosis, and cell motility. Potential strategies that either inhibit the proliferation-promoting effect of Myc and/or activate its pro-apoptotic function are presently being explored. In this review, we will give an overview of Myc activation in embryonal tumors and discuss current strategies aimed at targeting Myc for cancer treatment.

Cite this article as:

Grotzer A. Michael, Castelletti Deborah, Fiaschetti Giulio, Shalaby Tarek and Arcaro Alexandre, Targeting Myc in Pediatric Malignancies of the Central and Peripheral Nervous System, Current Cancer Drug Targets 2009; 9 (2) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156800909787580962