SENESCENCE IN THYROID CANCER PROGRESSION AND THERAPY RESISTANCE: PRECLINICAL STUDIES AND THERAPEUTIC IMPLICATIONS

Senescent cells are involved in tumor resistance, recurrence and aggressiveness. As senescent cells are also produced by several cancer treatments, their elimination by senotherapy (one-two punch approach) is being explored as treatment for aggressive and resistant tumors. 

The majority of thyroid carcinomas is generally cured by standard therapy; however, no effective therapeutic options are currently available for the aggressive forms. In this project we will explore the role of senescence in thyroid tumors, focusing on three specific aims: 1) assess the capability of different treatments to induce senescence in thyroid tumor cells; 2) characterize the secretome and paracrine effects of senescent cells on different TME components; 3) explore senotherapy as a strategy to eliminate senescent cells.  

The results will provide a further dissection of thyroid tumor cell biology and therapy resistance mechanisms. Moreover, it will assess the feasibility of the one-two punch approach, thus unveiling new possible therapeutic approaches for the most aggressive and still uncurable tumor forms.