Tumor-suppressing and tumor-promoting senescence
Under what conditions does cellular senescence suppress cancer, and when does it instead promote tumor progression or lymphatic spread?
It could clarify how senescence’s opposing roles affect cancer progression and whether targeting it could help or undermine treatment.
Where it stands now
Main bottleneck
Current evidence does not establish how to reliably distinguish tumor-suppressing senescence from tumor-promoting senescence in a given cancer setting.
Watch next
Evidence identifying and testing specific conditions that determine whether senescence restrains tumor progression or promotes it, including effects on lymphatic spread or treatment response.
Progress timeline
How the evidence has changed over time.
2024 · 1 update
- Why researchers may stop cancer cells before trying to clear themResearch note 2 of 2 · Source date 2024-08-19
Since the previous research note · Earlier expectation not tested
Track continuity
Since the previous research note: How growth-arrested cells may reshape lymphatic routes used by cancer
Previous expectation: Selective control of senescent-cell signals might reduce cancer spread or relapse while preserving protective growth arrest and normal lymphatic functions.
What this study adds: The August 2024 review broadens the discussion to cancer-specific treatment responses, sequential senescence induction and clearance, and barriers to selective targeting. Its reviewed cell and mouse findings do not test the earlier forecast's lymphatic-function and patient-relapse conditions.
Current research note
2023 · 1 update
- How growth-arrested cells may reshape lymphatic routes used by cancerResearch note 1 of 2 · Source date 2023-02-02
How this Track works
This page changes as new evidence arrives. Open any update to see what researchers found at that point in the story.