Molecular Target Therapy against Neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma, originated from neural crest cells, is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood. Treatment is of limited utility for high-risk neuroblastoma and prognosis is poor. The high incidence of resistance of advanced-stage neuroblastoma to conventional therapies has prompt investigators to search for novel therapeutic approaches. Activation of IGF-R/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway correlates with oncogenesis, poor prognosis, and chemotherapy resistance in neuroblastoma. Therefore, we investigated the effect of IGF-R/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling inhibitors in neuroblastoma. Significantly, IGF-R/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling inhibitors effectively inhibited cell growth and induced cell cycle arrest, autophagy, and apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells. Moreover, IGF-R/PI3K/Akt/ mTOR signaling inhibitors significantly reduced tumor growth in mice xenograft model without apparent toxicity. Therefore, these results highlight the potential of IGF-R/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway as a promising target for neuroblastoma treatment. Therefore, IGF-1R/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling inhibitors should be further investigated for treatment in clinical trials for high-risk neuroblastoma.