A narrative review of the emerging role of lymphocyte antigen 6 complex locus K in cancer: from basic research to clinical practice

OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we will discuss the structure, function and role of lymphocyte antigen 6 complex locus K (LY6K) in disease model, and highlight the new progress of LY6K in current clinical trials. It provides reference value for future basic research. BACKGROUND: Cancer is a global public health problem that must be solved. The ability of tumor cells to evade the antitumor immune response makes cancer research and treatment more difficult. LY6K is highly expressed in a variety of cancers, can stimulate the immune system, and has tumor specificity. At present, a large number of vaccines have entered clinical trials. METHODS: The PubMed, umin.ac.jp/ctr and Clinical Trials.gov databases were searched for LY6K published literature and clinical trials. The structure and function of LY6K and the current state of research on LY6K in human cancers were discussed to provide reference for further research. CONCLUSIONS: The LY6K gene has been shown to be highly expressed in a variety of tumor cells, driving tumorigenesis and progression, and is negatively correlated with poor prognosis in patients. At the same time, LY6K can stimulate the immune response of the body’s immune cells. The study of LY6K-related vaccines in clinical trials also suggests that targeting LY6K may be a new direction for tumor immunotherapy.