Cholesterol and beyond - The role of the mevalonate pathway in cancer biology.

Cancer is a multifaceted global disease. Transformation of a normal to a malignant cell takes several steps, including somatic mutations, epigenetic alterations, metabolic reprogramming and loss of cell growth control. Recently, the mevalonate pathway has emerged as a crucial regulator of tumor biology and a potential therapeutic target. This pathway controls cholesterol production and posttranslational modifications of Rho-GTPases, both of which are linked to several key steps of tumor progression. Inhibitors of the mevalonate pathway induce pleiotropic antitumor-effects in several human malignancies, identifying the pathway as an attractive candidate for novel therapies. In this review, we will provide an overview about the role and regulation of the mevalonate pathway in certain aspects of cancer initiation and progression and its potential for therapeutic intervention in oncology.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have received grants or honorarium for advisory boards or lectures to the individual or the institution by Amgen (MR, LCH, TDR), Biomedica (AG), Novartis (LCH, TDR), and Merck (LCH, TDR).
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