Bladder cancer (BCa) is one of the most diagnosed cancers worldwide. It is classified as non-muscle-invasive (NMIB), confined to the mucosa, and muscle-invasive (MIB), extended to deeper layers or formed metastases. The poor outcomes associated with MIBC indicate the urgent need for candidate biomarkers to improve treatment strategies. Molecular characterisation of both NMIBC and MIBC, and especially the classification of tumours into molecular subtypes, could provide the development of novel therapeutics in high-risk muscle-invasive bladder cancer. A few studies have focused on pathways implicated in MIBC, including growth factors, DNA–RNA modifying enzymes and the differential roles played by the NOTCH receptors. NOTCH1 has been revealed as a tumour suppressor; in contrast, NOTCH2 and NOTCH3 have demonstrated an oncogenic role in BCa. Recent reports have found that NOTCH2 and NOTCH3 are associated with poor prognosis. Moreover, inhibiting these NOTCH receptors effectively restrained BCa growth and metastasis, suggesting the potential value of targeting NOTCH as a promising therapeutic strategy for bladder cancer. Given the crucial role of the NOTCH pathway, we will discuss the different predictive value of the four NOTCH receptors and the potential of NOTCH-combined therapy in BCa.
膀胱癌是全球范围内最常见的癌症之一。根据肿瘤浸润深度可分为非肌层浸润性膀胱癌（局限于黏膜层）和肌层浸润性膀胱癌（侵犯深层组织或发生转移）。肌层浸润性膀胱癌患者预后较差，亟需寻找有效的生物标志物以优化治疗策略。通过对非肌层浸润性与肌层浸润性膀胱癌进行分子特征分析，特别是基于分子亚型的肿瘤分类，可为高危肌层浸润性膀胱癌的新型疗法开发提供依据。现有研究主要关注肌层浸润性膀胱癌相关信号通路，包括生长因子、DNA-RNA修饰酶以及NOTCH受体的差异化作用。NOTCH1被证实具有抑癌功能，而NOTCH2和NOTCH3则在膀胱癌中发挥促癌作用。最新研究发现NOTCH2和NOTCH3与不良预后相关，抑制这些受体能有效遏制膀胱癌的生长与转移，这提示靶向NOTCH信号通路可能成为膀胱癌治疗的潜在策略。鉴于NOTCH通路的关键作用，本文将系统探讨四种NOTCH受体的差异化预测价值，以及NOTCH联合疗法在膀胱癌治疗中的应用前景。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家