AUTHOR=Costa Pedro Mikael da Silva , Sales Sarah Leyenne Alves , Pinheiro Daniel Pascoalino , Pontes Larissa Queiroz , Maranhão Sarah Sant’Anna , Pessoa Claudia do Ó. , Furtado Gilvan Pessoa , Furtado Cristiana Libardi Miranda TITLE=Epigenetic reprogramming in cancer: From diagnosis to treatment JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology VOLUME=11 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2023.1116805 DOI=10.3389/fcell.2023.1116805 ISSN=2296-634X ABSTRACT=

Disruption of the epigenetic program of gene expression is a hallmark of cancer that initiates and propagates tumorigenesis. Altered DNA methylation, histone modifications and ncRNAs expression are a feature of cancer cells. The dynamic epigenetic changes during oncogenic transformation are related to tumor heterogeneity, unlimited self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation. This stem cell-like state or the aberrant reprogramming of cancer stem cells is the major challenge in treatment and drug resistance. Given the reversible nature of epigenetic modifications, the ability to restore the cancer epigenome through the inhibition of the epigenetic modifiers is a promising therapy for cancer treatment, either as a monotherapy or in combination with other anticancer therapies, including immunotherapies. Herein, we highlighted the main epigenetic alterations, their potential as a biomarker for early diagnosis and the epigenetic therapies approved for cancer treatment.