Src inhibitors are promising therapy molecules for human cervical carcinomas

Metastatic cervical cancer is a major cause of cancer mortality in women worldwide. In parallel, it is well established that high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are important factors in the progression of this cancer. Meanwhile, the overall 5 year-survival rate for patients diagnosed with cervical cancer is approximately 50% and has not significantly improved over the past two decades. Therefore, new strategies for the treatment of this cancer, especially the metastatic form, are becoming a major focus of investigation. Alternatively, Src family kinase activities are elevated in several human carcinomas, including cervical, and are often associated with aggressive cancer. Moreover, Src activities are deregulated by E6/E7 onco-proteins of high-risk HPV which are expressed in the majority of human cervical cancers. This raises the question whether Src inhibitors play a significant role in the treatment of human cervical carcinomas. In this paper, we propose the hypothesis that the Src family can be an important target for the treatment of this cancer. Although, we believe that significant studies, using different cells and animal models as well as clinical trails, are necessary to verify this hypothesis. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.