The potential role of adenosine signaling in the pathogenesis of melanoma.

Melanoma cancer cell proliferation, motility, invasion, and tumor growth is affected by the adenosine pathway that consists of adenosine-synthesizing enzymes, receptors, and their respective agonists/antagonists. Accumulating evidence suggests that ischemia and inflammation, two conditions associated with melanoma, display dysregulated adenosine metabolism, which implicates it as the mechanism responsible for the pathogenesis of melanoma, thereby resulting in advanced diagnosis and therapy. Suppression of adenosine signaling by inhibiting adenosine receptors or adenosine-generating enzymes (CD39 and CD73) on melanoma cells presents a novel therapeutic target for patients with melanoma. This review summarizes the role of adenosine signaling in the pathogenesis of melanoma to advance its understanding and hence improve therapeutics and management.