Exploring fucosylation in lung cancer: Mechanisms, diagnosis, and therapeutic strategies

Lung cancer remains a global health crisis, responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. Late-stage diagnosis often limits treatment options and patient survival. Therefore, identifying reliable and sensitive biomarkers for early detection is crucial. Glycosylation, the addition of glycans to protein/RNA/lipid, is a vital cellular process. Normal glycosylation regulates healthy cell function, while alterations, particularly in fucosylation and sialylation, contribute to lung cancer development and progression. These aberrant glycosylation patterns are associated with processes such as immune modulation, cell migration, proliferation, and cell-cell recognition. Fucosylation, a specific type of glycosylation, is frequently altered in lung cancer, with high levels detected in tumors. Understanding the mechanisms behind this altered fucosylation holds immense potential. It can pave the way for the development of novel therapeutic and diagnostic tools for lung cancer. By analyzing specific fucosylation patterns in bodily fluids, it could lead to early-stage diagnosis. This review delves into the mechanisms of fucosylation in lung cancer initiation and metastasis, proposing promising strategies to target the mechanisms, aiming to inhibit tumor growth and disease progression.