Page 91 - ARNM-3-3

Advances in Radiotherapy &

Nuclear Medicine

MINI-REVIEW
Insights into Cripto-1 as a target for cancer

diagnosis and treatment: A mini-review

5
Zhengkun Gao 1† , Qian Li 2† , Ran Zheng 2 , Jing Si 3,4 , Bing Wang * , and Lu
3,4
Gan *
1 Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Gansu,
China
2 Department (Hospital) of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Gansu, China
3 Biomedical Research Center, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Gansu, China
4 College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
5 Department of Radiation Effects Research, Institute for Radiological Science,
National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Chiba, Japan

Abstract
† These authors contributed equally
to this work. Cripto-1, a glycoprotein and key member of the epidermal growth factor-Cripto-1-
*Corresponding authors: FRL-1-Cryptic family, has garnered significant attention in cancer research due to
Bing Wang its dual roles in embryonic development and tumor progression. The central role of
(wang.bing@qst.go.jp)
Lu Gan Cripto-1 in regulating signaling pathways that govern cell behavior positions it as
(ganl@impcas.ac.cn) a promising target for enhancing diagnostic precision and therapeutic efficacy in
cancer management. This mini-review explores the role of Cripto-1 in cancer biology,
Citation: Gao Z, Li Q, Zheng R,
et al. Insights into Cripto-1 as a focusing on its involvement in key oncogenic pathways such as cell proliferation,
target for cancer diagnosis and migration, angiogenesis, and the maintenance of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Cripto-1
treatment: A mini-review. Adv supports CSC self-renewal and contributes to treatment resistance. The review also
Radiother Nucl Med.
2025;3(3):83-93. examines recent advances in Cripto-1-targeted therapy, including monoclonal
doi: 10.36922/ARNM025130015 antibodies, small molecule inhibitors, and early-phase clinical trials, highlighting their
Received: March 26, 2025 therapeutic efficacy and safety profile. By synthesizing these findings, this review
offers a comprehensive understanding of Cripto-1’s clinical relevance and provides
1st Revised: May 7, 2025
new insights into its potential to improve diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic
2nd Revised: May 16, 2025 outcomes in cancer management.
3rd Revised: May 19, 2025
Accepted: June 5, 2025 Keywords: Cripto-1; Cancer; Diagnostic biomarker; Treatment target; Cancer stem cells
Published online: June 26, 2025
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article 1. Introduction
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution Cancer remains a major global health challenge and a central focus of medical and
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, biological research. According to the 2020 global cancer statistics released by the
provided the original work is International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization,
properly cited. there were 19.29 million new cancer cases and 9.96 million cancer-related deaths
1
Publisher’s Note: AccScience worldwide. The incidence and mortality rates of cancer continue to rise due to
Publishing remains neutral with factors such as population aging, lifestyle changes, and environmental pollution.
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Traditional treatment strategies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy,
affiliations. can effectively control tumor growth and metastasis to some extent. However,

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 83 doi: 10.36922/ARNM025130015