CLEC12A: A Promise Target for Cancer Therapy

Cancer is the leading cause of mortality in every country in the world [1]. The World Health Organization reported that cancer is one of the major causes of disease-related deaths before the age of 70 [2]. Globally, cancer incidences and mortality is alarming and can often be co-related with the socio-economic development of a given population. This concern was depicted in 4-tier Human Development Index (HDI) of the United Nation [3]. An estimated 19.3 million fresh cases and 10 million deaths were registered globally in 2020. Of these, most new cases are of female breast cancer and maximum mortality rate is of lung cancer among both sexes. The cases of blood cancer are also distressing with 711,795 deaths among 1,278,362 new cases registered in 2020 [4]. Worldwide cancer statistics show disconcerting rates of occurrences and deaths even after recent advances in healthcare. Treatment of cancer continues to beat challenge since it is often difficult to appropriately categorise them, based on their underlying molecular signatures. Therefore, elucidating key signaling markers and their role in different types of cancers is a pre-requisite. Research on the haematological niche has progressed in the recent years [5]. The complexity of the human bone marrow, with context to haematological malignancies, is more difficult to elucidate with the present strategies compared to the niche of solid tumors. There can, however, be few similarities between the two, as the bone marrow is a common site of metastasis of solid tumors too [6]. Relevant information has now been established on solid tumors and their micro-environments, which include immune, endothelial and mesenchymal cells. Albeit a gap in knowledge still exists, the need to discover definite means to interfere with the complex interplay between the niches is imperative to define efficient chemotherapeutic strategies in future.