Cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide, despite many advances being made in recent decades. Changes in the tumor microenvironment, including dysregulated immunity, may contribute to
carcinogenesis and
cancer progression. The
cysteinyl leukotriene (CysLT) pathway is involved in several signal pathways, having various functions in different tissues. We summarized major findings of studies about the roles of the CysLT pathway in
cancer. Many in vitro studies suggested the roles of CysLTs in cell survival/proliferation via
CysLT1 receptor (
CysLT1R).
CysLT1R antagonism decreased cell vitality and induced cell death in several types of
cancer cells, such as colorectal, urological, breast, lung and neurological
malignancies. CysLTs were also associated with multidrug resistance of
cancer, and
CysLT1R antagonism might reverse chemoresistance. Some animal studies demonstrated the beneficial effects of
CysLT1R antagonist in inhibiting
tumorigenesis and progression of some
cancer types, particularly
colorectal cancer and
lung cancer. The expression of
CysLT1R was shown in various
cancer tissues, particularly
colorectal cancer and urological
malignancies, and higher expression was associated with a poorer prognosis. The chemo-preventive effects of
CysLT1R antagonists were demonstrated in two large retrospective cohort studies. In summary, the roles of the CysLT pathway in
cancer have been delineated, whereas further studies are still warranted.