# Basal cell carcinomas: attack of the hedgehog

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-epstein-nat-rev-cancer/  
OnCo record `paper-epstein-nat-rev-cancer` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Paper cited by one pathway page, indexed on Europe PMC as PubMed record 18813320 and published in Nature Reviews Cancer; the citing page links this DOI, which is how the record was matched.

## Summary

Basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) were essentially a molecular 'black box' until some 12 years ago, when identification of a genetic flaw in a rare subset of patients who have a great propensity to develop BCCs pointed to aberrant Hedgehog signalling as the pivotal defect leading to formation of these tumours. This discovery has facilitated a remarkable increase in our understanding of BCC carcinogenesis and has highlighted the carcinogenic role of this developmental pathway when aberrantly activated in adulthood. Importantly, a phase 1 first-in-human trial of a Hedgehog inhibitor has shown real progress in halting and even reversing the growth of these tumours.

Indexed on Europe PMC as PubMed record 18813320 (DOI 10.1038/nrc2503). Matched by DOI alone: one pathway page cites this DOI among its external links (the pages are listed under Related), and this page was written so that the citation resolves inside OnCo. No figure has been checked by an editor.

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-09-22
- Tags: europepmc-ingest
- Journal: Nature Reviews Cancer
- Year: 2008
- DOI: 10.1038/nrc2503
- Authors: Epstein EH
- What it means: One pathway page on OnCo cites this paper by its DOI; this record gives the citation a page of its own so a reader can follow it without leaving OnCo. Read the abstract above alongside the citing page listed under Related; the record was created automatically from the Europe PMC entry and its figures have not been checked by hand.
- Caveats: Matched to the citing OnCo records by DOI alone; the summary reproduces the Europe PMC abstract and no figure has been verified against the full paper.

## Sources

- Nat Rev Cancer 2008: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc2503
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18813320/
- Europe PMC: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/18813320

## Connected records

- pathways: [Basal cell carcinoma (KEGG map)](https://onco.cc/pathways/basal-cell-carcinoma-signalling/)
- journals: [Nature Reviews Cancer](https://onco.cc/journals/nature-reviews-cancer/)

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