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Review
. 2021 Mar 16;11(3):211.
doi: 10.3390/jpm11030211.

Differentiating Neuroblastoma: A Systematic Review of the Retinoic Acid, Its Derivatives, and Synergistic Interactions

Nadiya Bayeva  1   2 , Erin Coll  1   2 , Olga Piskareva  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

Differentiating Neuroblastoma: A Systematic Review of the Retinoic Acid, Its Derivatives, and Synergistic Interactions

Nadiya Bayeva et al. J Pers Med. .

Abstract

A neuroblastoma (NB) is a solid paediatric tumour arising from undifferentiated neuronal cells. Despite the recent advances in disease management and treatment, it remains one of the leading causes of childhood cancer deaths, thereby necessitating the development of new therapeutic agents and regimens. Retinoic acid (RA), a vitamin A derivative, is a promising agent that can induce differentiation in NB cells. Its isoform, 13-cis RA or isotretinoin, is used in NB therapy; however, its effectiveness is limited to treating a minimal residual disease as maintenance therapy. As such, research focuses on RA derivatives that might increase the anti-NB action or explores the potential synergy between RA and other classes of drugs, such as cellular processes mediators, epigenetic modifiers, and immune modulators. This review summarises the in vitro, in vivo, and clinical data of RA, its derivatives, and synergising compounds, thereby establishing the most promising RA derivatives and combinations of RA for further investigation.

Keywords: combinational therapy; neuroblastoma; retinoic acid.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram of the study selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Signalling cascade of RA isoforms. Created with BioRender.com (accessed on 9 February 2021).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic of the pathways interacting with the RA signalling cascade. Created with BioRender.com (accessed on 9 February 2021).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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