Protein kinase Cs in lung cancer: A promising target for therapies

Lung cancer has been identified as one of the most deadly oncologies. The most influential causes for disease progression include smoking, genetic mutation and inflammatory lung diseases. Conventional therapies for lung cancer including chemo and radio-treatments often cause serious adverse effects. The advent of novel therapeutics that specifically target signalling pathways activated by genetic alterations has revolutionized the way patients with lung cancer are treated. These are comprised of various molecular targets on its carcinogen signalling pathways, among which the protein kinase C (PKC) family is a promising target. The 12 isotypes in the family demonstrate complex interactions. This inter-linked signalling loop has added complexity of developing effective therapies. An improved understanding of different molecules involved in these signalling pathways will provide several profound implications, ranging from preclinical work on the mechanisms to trial design. Therapies developed targeting individual/multiple PKCs combined with conventional strategies offer promising future combating cancer.