Roles of the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway in the metastasis and recurrence of NSCLC

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death globally and the most common cause of brain metastasis. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 80% of all lung cancers. High metastasis and recurrence rates are important factors contributing to the poor prognosis of patients with NSCLC. The canonical WNT signaling pathway, as a highly conserved signal transduction pathway, not only directly affects the metastasis and recurrence of NSCLC, but also participates in it by regulating the stemness and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process of lung cancer cells, or by interacting with other signaling pathways. In this review, we summarize the direct or indirect functions and mechanisms of roles of the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway (including WNT ligands, β-catenin, glycogen synthase kinase 3Β, adenomatous polyposis coli, axis inhibition protein, dishevelled, frizzled serpentine receptor, Dickkopf-related protein, lymphoid enhancer-binding factor/T cell-specific factor, and S-phase kinase associated protein 1–cullin–F-box E3 ligase) in NSCLC metastasis and recurrence. Additionally, we explore the potential of inhibitors of this pathway in preventing NSCLC metastasis and recurrence.