Current Methodologies to Assess Cellular Senescence in Cancer

Cellular senescence plays a critical role in cancer, acting as both a tumor-suppressive and tumor-promoting mechanism. Senescent cells undergo stable cell-cycle arrest in response to various stressors, including DNA damage and oncogenic signaling, and exhibit a complex secretory phenotype known as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which can impact the tumor microenvironment. The hallmarks of senescence include cell-cycle arrest, secretion of pro-inflammatory factors, structural changes, and metabolic alterations. These features, while initially suppressing tumorigenesis, can later contribute to cancer progression under certain conditions. Methods for studying senescence in preclinical models include in vitro assays, ex vivo tissue analysis, and in vivo detection techniques. Emerging therapeutic strategies focus on exploiting senescence for cancer treatment, particularly through the use of senolytic agents that selectively eliminate senescent cells and senomorphic compounds that modulate SASP activity. However, the identification of reliable and universal biomarkers for senescence remains a challenge, necessitating a multimarker approach to accurately detect and characterize senescent cells in various contexts.