Role of pyroptosis in lung cancer: Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic implications.

Lung cancer is the most prevalent and lethal malignancy worldwide. In advanced-stage patients, tumors tend to develop drug resistance during treatment, resulting in a poor prognosis. Pyroptosis is mediated by the gasdermin family, with molecular mechanisms encompassing the classical, non-classical, and alternative pathways. New evidence indicates that genes associated with cell proliferation in lung cancer can facilitate early detection and metastasis prediction. Additionally, some physical and targeted strategies can regulate pyroptosis to inhibit cancer, and appropriate molecules can be used to assess prognosis. Inducing pyroptosis may become a new direction for overcoming drug resistance. This article aims to summarize the characteristics of lung cancer development, metastasis and cell death-related prediction, providing an important basis for developing novel therapeutic strategies against lung cancer by activating pyroptosis.