DNA Damage Response in Glioblastoma Mechanism for Treatment Resistance and Emerging Therapeutic Strategies

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an intrinsically treatment-resistant tumor and has been shown to upregulate DNA damage response (DDR) components after treatment. DNA damage response signaling mediates treatment resistance by promoting cell cycle arrest in order to allow for DNA damage repair and avoid mitotic catastrophe. Therefore, targeting the DDR pathway is an attractive strategy to combat treatment resistance in GBM. In this review, we discuss the different DDR pathways and then summarize the current preclinical evidence for DDR inhibitors in GBM, as well as completed and ongoing clinical trials.