REVIEWNF-κB signaling pathway and its potential as a target for therapy in lymphoid neoplasms

The NF-κB pathway, a critical regulator of apoptosis, plays a key role in many normal cellular functions. Genetic alterations and other mechanisms leading to constitutive activation of the NF-κB pathway contribute to cancer development, progression and therapy resistance by activation of downstream anti-apoptotic pathways, unfavorable microenvironment interactions, and gene dysregulation. Not surprisingly, given its importance to normal and cancer cell function, the NF-κB pathway has emerged as a target for therapy. In the review, we present the physiologic role of the NF-κB pathway and recent advances in better understanding of the pathologic roles of the NF-κB pathway in major types of lymphoid neoplasms. We also provide an update of clinical trials that use NF-κB pathway inhibitors. These trials are exploring the clinical efficiency of combining NF-κB pathway inhibitors with various agents that target diverse mechanisms of action with the goal being to optimize novel therapeutic opportunities for targeting oncogenic pathways to eradicate cancer cells.