Abstract:

PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway plays a vital role in the angiogenesis, protein synthesis, cell growth and metabolism, and dysregulation of this pathway has been found in many substantive malignant tumors. In recent years, the inhibitors of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway have been developed in succession, which have exhibited definite clinical effects on advanced renal cell carcinoma. As a result, further research on this pathway and its inhibitors, particularly their applications in urologic malignancies, has become one of the hot research areas. This paper focuses on the mechanism of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway and its roles in the development of tumors, and the research progress of mTOR inhibitors in urologic malignancies is also reviewed.

Key words: PI3K, Akt, mTOR, signaling pathway, mTOR inhibitors, urinary system, tumors