Despite decades of research, treatment for osteosarcoma has remained largely unchanged, especially for patients whose cancer spreads or returns. However, a growing body of evidence, summarized in the review “SETDB1 amplification in osteosarcomas: Insights from its role in healthy tissues and other cancer types,” published in Oncotarget, highlights the gene regulator SETDB1 as a potential key player in cancer progression, immune system evasion, and resistance to therapy. Targeting this protein may offer a new direction for developing more effective treatments.
Understanding Osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma is a rare but aggressive bone cancer that primarily affects teenagers and young adults. While current treatments like surgery and chemotherapy can help some patients, outcomes are much worse for those with relapsed or advanced disease.
One of the reasons osteosarcomas are so difficult to treat is their complex and unstable genetics. Unlike cancers with well-defined mutations, osteosarcomas involve chaotic DNA rearrangements, making it difficult to identify precise drug targets. Adding to the challenge, the immune system often fails to recognize these cancer cells, limiting the success of immunotherapy.
Full blog - https://www.oncotarget.org/2025/04/09/targeting-setdb1-a-new-strategy-for-treating-osteosarcoma/
Paper DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28688
Correspondence to - Antonin Marchais - antonin.marchais@gustaveroussy.fr, and Maria Eugenia Marques Da Costa - jenny.marquescosta@gustaveroussy.fr
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Keywords - cancer, SETDB1, cancer epigenetics, tumor immunogenicity, mesenchymal differentiation in osteosarcoma
About Oncotarget
Oncotarget (a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal) aims to maximize research impact through insightful peer-review; eliminate borders between specialties by linking different fields of oncology, cancer research and biomedical sciences; and foster application of basic and clinical science.
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