Sonic Hedgehog signaling pathway in gynecological and genitourinary cancer (Review)

摘要

Cancers of the urinary tract， as well as those of the female and male reproductive systems， account for a large percentage of malignancies worldwide. Mortality is frequently affected by late diagnosis or therapeutic difficul? ties. The Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) pathway is an evolutionary conserved molecular cascade， which is mainly associated with the development of the central nervous system in fetal life. The present review aimed to provide an in?depth summary of the SHH signaling pathway， including the characterization of its major components， the mechanism of its upstream regula? tion and non?canonical activation， as well as its interactions with other cellular pathways. In addition， the three possible mechanisms of the cellular SHH cascade in cancer tissue are discussed.