Roles of Regulated Cell Death in the Occurrence, Development, Diagnosis and Treatment of Glioblastoma

GBM (glioblastoma), the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor, is characterized by rapid proliferation, poor prognosis, and high mortality rates. The clinical therapy of GBM faces significant challenges due to the lack of specific molecular markers for early diagnosis and treatment. In recent years, various forms of RCD (regulated cell death) have been increasingly researched, especially, the autophagy, apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, and the recently investigated ferroptosis and cuproptosis being extensively studied. RCD plays a vital role in the development and homeostasis maintenance of multicellular organisms via precisely regulating the balance between cell death and proliferation. The regulation of RCD is complex and involves multiple genes and signaling pathways. The dysregulation of RCD often leads to pathological changes, including tumorigenesis. Consequently, RCD related genes act as a driving force for tumor initiation, progression, and therapeutic response. Notably, GBM exhibits distinct expression of key regulatory proteins involved in various RCD pathways compared to normal brain tissue. This differential regulation bestows these RCD forms with considerable potential as adjunctive therapy for GBM, thereby providing novel potential therapeutic targets. This review summarizes current researches on RCD and its roles in regulating GBM pathogenesis and treatment. This paper aims to provide theoretical insights and guidance for understanding the complex regulatory mechanisms of RCD in GBM and researching the clinical targeted drugs for the GBM treatment.

CSTR: 32200.14.cjcb.2025.12.0024