As a common lethal disease, cancer is now responsible for the majority of deaths worldwide and has been the single most important barrier to increasing life expectancy in the world. The pathogenesis of cancer has been the key point of cancer therapeutics research. The primary cilium, a solitary microtubule-based organelle, is considered to be an important sensor for receiving mechanical and chemical stimulation from other cells and environments; it plays an important role in a variety of signal transduction and disease processes. More importantly, the primary cilium can also function as an elaborate structure to regulate cell proliferation because ciliogenesis regulates cell division by sequestering the centriole. Recently, many new findings have suggested that the length and incidence of the primary cilium are closely connected to carcinogenesis and responses to cancer therapy. Here, we review relevant evidence proving that the primary cilium plays a key role in the occurrence and treatment of cancer. We also summarize the primary cilium-associated signaling pathways in cancer, including Wnt signaling, Hedgehog signaling, PDGFR signaling, and Notch signaling, and anticipate that targeting proteins localized in the primary cilium may be a potential anti-cancer strategy.

中文翻译：

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初级纤毛在癌症中的作用。

作为一种常见的致命疾病，癌症现在是全世界大多数死亡的原因，并且一直是世界上提高预期寿命的最重要的障碍。癌症的发病机制一直是癌症治疗学研究的重点。初级纤毛是一种基于微管的孤立细胞器，被认为是接收来自其他细胞和环境的机械和化学刺激的重要传感器；它在多种信号转导和疾病过程中发挥着重要作用。更重要的是，初级纤毛还可以作为调节细胞增殖的精细结构，因为纤毛发生通过隔离中心粒来调节细胞分裂。最近，许多新发现表明，初级纤毛的长度和发生率与致癌作用和对癌症治疗的反应密切相关。在这里，我们回顾了证明初级纤毛在癌症的发生和治疗中起关键作用的相关证据。我们还总结了癌症中与纤毛相关的主要信号通路，包括 Wnt 信号、Hedgehog 信号、PDGFR 信号和 Notch 信号，并预计靶向位于初级纤毛的蛋白质可能是一种潜在的抗癌策略。