Implications for clinical prognosis and target discovery of the SWI/SNF complex in genitourinary tumors

Dysregulation of chromatin is considered one of the root causes of tumor occurrence and progression. In the past two decades, the SWItch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable (SWI/SNF) complex, a crucial player in chromatin remodeling, has emerged as a significant focus of cancer research and has been found to play a pivotal role in cancer development and progression through the regulation of the expression of cancer-related genes. Notably, studies have unveiled that genetic mutations and functional alterations in the SWI/SNF complex subunits, such as ARID1A, are prevalent across a broad spectrum of cancers, but the role of this complex in genitourinary neoplasms has not been systematically summarized yet. Therefore, in this review, we have summarized the mechanisms of SWI/SNF complex components in the occurrence and development of urological tumors. In addition, we have also discussed its clinical value and presented treatment strategies that target the SWI/SNF complex in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the status of current research and future areas of clinical focus in this field.