Tumor Innervation: From Bystander to Emerging Therapeutic Target for Cancer

Abstract

Innervation is ubiquitous in diseased tissues, including cancer. Increasing evidence suggests that innervation not only plays a direct role in cancer pain, but is also closely related to disease progression, including cancer growth, metastasis, and drug resistance. At the molecular level, tumor-associated nerves can interact with cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment through neurotrophic factors, thereby promoting tumor occurrence and development, and represent a potential intervention for solid tumors with nerve enrichment. By dissecting the transcriptome dynamics of cancer-associated neurons with single cell resolution, numbers of novel therapeutic targets for tumor denervation have been uncovered, including a novel phenomenon—Macrophage to Neuron-like cell Transition (MNT). This review systematically summarizes the latest research findings of tumor denervation, from molecular mechanisms to the innovative denervation strategies, paving the way for novel, safe, and effective cancer treatments in the clinic.