Calcium signaling: A therapeutic target to overcome resistance to therapies in cancer

•What is already knownAbnormal calcium fluxes due to altered channel expression or activation contribute to carcinogenesis and promote tumor development.•Innate and acquired resistances to therapeutic agents are responsible for the failure of cancer treatments.•What this study addsWhile evidence indicates that Ca2+ channels and Ca2+ signaling in general play a vital role in cancer, their role in chemoresistance is less understood. In this review, we aim to provide an overview of the literature on the involvement of Ca2+ channels in cancer chemoresistance.•What is the clinical significance?This review discusses the role of calcium signaling as a mediator of cancer resistance, and assesses the potential value of combining anticancer therapy with calcium signaling modulators to improve the effectiveness of current treatments. Innate and acquired resistances to therapeutic agents are responsible for the failure of cancer treatments. Due to the multifactorial nature of resistance, the identification of new therapeutic targets is required to improve cancer treatment. Calcium is a universal second messenger that regulates many cellular functions such as proliferation, migration, and survival. Calcium channels, pumps and exchangers tightly regulate the duration, location and magnitude of calcium signals. Many studies have implicated dysregulation of calcium signaling in several pathologies, including cancer. Abnormal calcium fluxes due to altered channel expression or activation contribute to carcinogenesis and promote tumor development. However, there is limited information on the role of calcium signaling in cancer resistance to therapeutic drugs. This review discusses the role of calcium signaling as a mediator of cancer resistance, and assesses the potential value of combining anticancer therapy with calcium signaling modulators to improve the effectiveness of current treatments. [Display omitted]