Senescence in cancer: Hallmarks, paradoxes, and therapeutic promise

A major review published in Cell presents a unified framework for understanding cellular senescence in cancer, defining six hallmark features of the senescent state. The authors describe how senescence simultaneously halts cell division yet rewires chromatin architecture, metabolism, microenvironment sensing, and immune interactions in ways that can either suppress or paradoxically promote tumor growth. This dual nature makes senescence a complex but compelling target for precision oncology, with emerging senolytic and senomorphic strategies aiming to tip the balance toward tumor suppression. The review consolidates a rapidly growing body of evidence and charts a path toward clinical translation of senescence-directed therapies.