The Senescence Secretome and Its Impact on Tumor Suppression and Cancer

Abstract

Cellular senescence is an irreversible proliferation arrest with an emerging physiological role in tumor suppression. For example, primary cells that acquire a first oncogenic event often enter cellular senescence and this serves to block their further neoplastic transformation. Remarkably, the spectrum of factors secreted by senescent cells differs dramatically from their proliferating counterparts. For example, the secretome of senescent cells includes increased production of cytokines, matrix metalloproteases, and altered production of many growth factors. This review discusses these factors, their mechanism of regulation in senescent cells, and their contribution to the senescent phenotype and its role in tumor suppression.