Identification of A Novel Target in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma for Therapeutic Application of Silvestrol

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a cancer of the epithelial lining of the nasopharynx. Majority of NPC patients who have fully completed therapy eventually die. Treatment resistance and metastasis remain as clinical problems. Current treatment strategies merely control the disease, which may recur until treatment options runs out. Thus, it is imperative to discover new therapeutic strategies to improve treatment outcome. Silvestrol, a protein synthesis inhibitor, was evaluated for the treatment of NPC. Given that cancer cells require continuous expression of cancer-related proteins, interference with protein production can disrupt cancer cells; thus, opening a therapeutic window for protein synthesis inhibitors.