Targeting the PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway: A Promising Therapeutic Strategy to Reduce Cancer Mortality and Overcome Chemoresistance

Background and aims: The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway is a central regulator of cellular properties that are essential for cancer progression, including cellular growth, survival, metabolism, and angiogenesis. Dysregulated PI3K/Akt signaling, often caused by genetic alterations in PIK3CA, loss of PTEN, or the overexpression of receptor tyrosine kinases, drives tumor growth and metastasis, as well as immune escape and, crucially, chemoresistance.