SLC and ABC transporters critically contribute to the aggressiveness of lung cancer by orchestrating multiple facets of its malignant phenotype. This encompasses promoting cell proliferation, suppressing cell death, facilitating tumor invasion and metastasis, sustaining cancer stem cell (CSC) self-renewal, and modulating chemotherapy sensitivity and resistance. Furthermore, they mediate immunosuppression within the TME through dynamic crosstalk with resident stromal and immune cells. Thus, the substantial involvement of SLC and ABC transporters in lung cancer pathogenesis and therapeutic resistance definitively positions them as pivotal molecular vulnerabilities and actionable targets for developing novel therapeutic strategies to overcome drug resistance and improve clinical outcomes.
Li et al. (Wed,) studied this question.