Epigenetic mechanisms are essential for normal development and
maintenance of tissue-specific gene expression patterns in mammals.
Disruption of epigenetic processes can lead to altered gene
function and malignant cellular transformation. Global changes
in the epigenetic landscape are a hallmark of cancer. The initiation
and progression of cancer, traditionally seen as a genetic
disease, is now realized to involve epigenetic abnormalities along
with genetic alterations. Recent advancements in the rapidly
evolving field of cancer epigenetics have shown extensive reprogramming
of every component of the epigenetic machinery in
cancer including DNA methylation, histone modifications, nucleosome
positioning and non-coding RNAs, specifically microRNA
expression. The reversible nature of epigenetic aberrations has
led to the emergence of the promising field of epigenetic therapy,
which is already making progress with the recent FDA approval
of three epigenetic drugs for cancer treatment. In this review, we
discuss the current understanding of alterations in the epigenetic
landscape that occur in cancer compared with normal cells, the
roles of these changes in cancer initiation and progression, including
the cancer stem cell model, and the potential use of this knowledge
in designing more effective treatment strategies.
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