Affiliations: [a] Guangxi Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, Orthopaedic Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China | [b] Collaborative Innovation Centre of Regenerative Medicine and Medical BioResource Development and Application Co-constructed by the Province and Ministry, Life Sciences Institute, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Qian Liu, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, Orthopaedic Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China. E-mail: luoboqian@hotmail.com.
Abstract: Cancer has become a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in recent years. Its high prevalence has had a severe impact on society. Researchers have achieved fruitful results in the causative factors, pathogenesis, treatment strategies, and cancer prevention. Semaphorin 3F (SEMA3F), a member of the signaling family, was initially reported in the literature to inhibit the growth, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells in lung cancer. Later studies showed it has cancer-inhibiting effects in malignant tumors such as breast, colorectal, ovarian, oral squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, and head and neck squamous carcinoma. In contrast, recent studies have reported that SEMA3F is expressed more in hepatocellular carcinoma than in normal tissue and promotes metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma. We chose lung, breast, colorectal, and hepatocellular carcinomas with high clinical prevalence to review the roles and molecular mechanisms of SEMA3F in these four carcinomas. We concluded with an outlook on clinical interventions for patients targeting SEMA3F.
