Ion channels: functional expression and therapeutic potential in cancer

The first colloquium on ‘Ion Channels and Cancer’ took place between 25 and 28 November 2007, at the Schloss Ringberg in Tegernsee, Germany, and was organized by W. Stuhmer and M. Djamgoz.![][1] The colloquium on ‘Ion Channels and Cancer’ at the Schloss Ringberg in Tegernsee, Germany, was the first formal meeting to bring together nearly 60 international scientists, oncologists and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry who share a common interest: understanding the role of ion channels in the development and progression of cancer. This field has been growing steadily during the past decade or so, building on the initial observations that ion channels are involved in both mitogenesis (DeCoursey et al , 1984) and malignancy (Pardo et al , 1999). A rapidly increasing number of ion‐channel types are now known to be expressed in various cancers, and some ion channels are selectively expressed in aggressive cancers and are intimately involved in metastasis (reviewed by Diss et al , 2004; Fiske et al , 2006; Kaczmarek, 2006; Roger et al , 2006; Schonherr, 2005; Villalonga et al , 2007).This two‐day colloquium covered the mechanisms behind, and the functional consequences of, the flux of the main ions involved in cellular homeostasis: K+, Na+, Ca2+, H+ and Cl−. There was also a strong emphasis on linking the function of the ion channels to cellular behaviours that are important during cancer development and progression (Fig 1). The first day focused on ion‐channel involvement in cell proliferation, transformation and apoptosis, whereas the second day dealt with cellular behaviours crucial to metastatic cell spread, such as motility and invasion. In addition to the discussions about the ion channels directly implicated in cancer, other talks covered related topics—for example, autoimmune disease, cell activation and vascular permeability—which highlighted … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif