Not only a therapeutic target; mTOR in Hodgkin lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract

Introduction: The mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase, which is downregulated or upregulated and is implicated in different types of cancer including hematologic neoplasms, skin prostate, and head and neck cancer.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the current knowledge of mTOR signaling in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and Hodgkin lymphoma.

Methods: A systematic review was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, searching PubMed, Discovery Service for National Autonomous University of Mexico, Registro Nacional de Instituciones y Empresas Científicas y Tecnológicas (RENIECYT), and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) from 1994 to 2023. A total of 269 papers were identified for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, but based on specific criteria, 15 were included; for Hodgkin lymphoma, 110 papers were identified, but 5 were included after manual searching.

Results: A total of 20 papers were evaluated, where mTOR activity is increased in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia by different molecular mechanisms.

Conclusions: mTOR activity is increased in patients with both hematologic neoplasms and NOTCH; interleukin 4, 7, and 9, and nuclear proteins have been studied for their role in the activation of mTOR signaling.

Keywords: Hodgkin lymphoma; acute lymphoblastic leukemia; mTOR; mTORC1; mTORC2.