Although adverse effects and
glucocorticoid resistance cripple their chronic use,
glucocorticoids form the mainstay
therapy for acute and chronic inflammatory disorders, and play an important role in treatment protocols of both lymphoid
malignancies and as adjuvant to stimulate
therapy tolerability in various solid
tumors.
Glucocorticoid binding to their designate
glucocorticoid receptor (GR), sets off a plethora of cell-specific events including therapeutically desirable effects, such as cell death, as well as undesirable effects, including
chemotherapy resistance, systemic side effects and
glucocorticoid resistance. In this context, selective GR agonists and modulators (SEGRAMs) with a more restricted GR activity profile have been developed, holding promise for further clinical development in anti-inflammatory and potentially in
cancer therapies. Thus far, the research into the prospective benefits of selective GR modulators in
cancer therapy limped behind. Our review discusses how selective GR agonists and modulators could improve the
therapy regimens for lymphoid
malignancies, prostate or
breast cancer. We summarize our current knowledge and look forward to where the field should move to in the future. Altogether, our review clarifies novel therapeutic perspectives in
cancer modulation via selective GR targeting.