摘要：Signaling pathways control all phases of tumor development and are critical in cancer therapy as they are largely responsible for the ability of tumor cells to survive or die in response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The p38 MAPK signaling pathway is one of the routes that cells use extensively to interpret extracellular signals and orchestrate appropriate responses. This pathway was originally characterized as a key regulator of stress and inflammatory processes, which prompted the development of chemical inhibitors mainly targeting the p38¦Á and p38¦Â family members. These inhibitors were expected to curtail production of inflammatory mediators and be useful for the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Unfortunately, the available information indicates rather disappointing outcomes, sometimes due to toxicity and in other cases for lack of efficacy, notwithstanding that some clinical trial results are not made public [1].
