Abstract:
Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality worldwide. Skin cancer is the most
common cancer in South Africa with nearly 20,000 reported cases every year and
700 deaths. If diagnosed early, the 5‐year survival rate is about 90%, however, when
diagnosed late, the 5‐year survival rate decreases to about 20%. Melanoma is a type
of skin cancer with an estimated 5‐year survival rate of approximately 90%.
Neuroblastoma is a paediatric cancer with a low survival rate. Sixty percent of
patients with metastatic disease do not survive 5 years after diagnosis. Despite
recent advances in targeted therapies, there is a crucial need to identify reliable
prognostic biomarkers which will be able to contribute to the development of more
precision‐based chemotherapeutic strategies to prevent tumour migration and
metastasis. The compound, CTCE‐9908 inhibits the binding of CXC chemokine
ligand 12 (CXCL12) to the CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) receptor leading to
reduced metastasis. Kynurenine metabolites are derived tryptophan, which is an
essential amino acid. Kynurenine metabolites inhibit T‐cell proliferation resulting in
cell growth arrest. For this reason, chemokines receptors represent potential targets
for the treatment of cancer growth and metastasis. In this review paper, the role of
the CXCL12/CXCR4 signalling pathway in the development of cancer is highlighted
together with the current available treatments involving the CTCE‐9908 compound
in combination with microtubule inhibitors like paclitaxel and docetaxel.
