Ezh2-dependent therapies in bladder cancer: synthetic lethality

Tumor cells arise as a consequence of the acquisition of defined properties, due to gene alterations, which control the equilibrium of cell proliferation and survival. Most targeted therapeutic approaches are focused on the inhibition of those alterations leading to gain of function. This situation is different when these acquired properties are used to loss of function, which usually affect tumor suppressor genes. This accounts for a limited use of these alterations as therapeutic targets. However, this potential problem can be overcome by the use of synthetic lethality approaches (see below).