Cancer is a complex disease characterized by uncontrolled cell proliferation at various levels, leading to tumor growth and spread. This review focuses on the role of ion homeostasis in cancer progression. It describes a model of ion-mediated regulation in both normal and cancerous cell proliferation. The main function of this system is to maintain the optimal number of cells in the body by regulating intra- and extracellular ion content. The review discusses the key points of ion regulation and their impact on tumor growth and spread during cancer development. It explains that normal levels of sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, and hydrogen ions are regulated at different levels. Damage to ion transport mechanisms during carcinogenesis can lead to an increase in sodium cations and water content in cells, disrupting the balance of calcium and hydrogen ions. This, in turn, can lead to chromatin compaction reduction, gene overexpression, and instability at the epigenetic and genomic levels, resulting in increased cell proliferation and mutagenesis. Restoring normal ion balance can reduce the proliferative potential of both normal and tumor cell populations. The proposed model of systemic ionic regulation of proliferation aims to reconcile diverse data related to cell mitotic activity in various physiological conditions and explain tumor growth. Understanding the mechanisms behind pathological cell proliferation is important for developing new approaches to control ion homeostasis in the body, potentially leading to more effective cancer treatment and prevention.
癌症是一种复杂的疾病，其特征在于细胞在不同层面发生不受控制的增殖，从而导致肿瘤生长与扩散。本综述聚焦于离子稳态在癌症进展中的作用，阐述了正常细胞与癌细胞增殖过程中离子介导的调控模型。该系统的核心功能是通过调节细胞内外的离子含量，维持机体细胞的最适数量。文章系统探讨了离子调控的关键环节及其在癌症发展过程中对肿瘤生长与转移的影响，指出钠、钾、钙、氯及氢离子在正常生理状态下均受到多层级调控。在癌变过程中，离子转运机制受损可能导致细胞内钠阳离子与水含量增加，破坏钙离子与氢离子的平衡状态。这种失衡进而引起染色质凝聚度降低、基因过度表达以及表观遗传与基因组层面的不稳定性，最终导致细胞增殖加速和突变率升高。恢复正常的离子平衡可同时降低正常细胞与肿瘤细胞群体的增殖潜能。本文提出的系统性离子增殖调控模型，旨在整合不同生理状态下细胞有丝分裂活性的多样化数据，并为解释肿瘤生长机制提供理论框架。深入理解病理性细胞增殖背后的机制，对于开发调控机体离子稳态的新策略具有重要意义，有望为癌症治疗与预防开辟更有效的途径。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家