In this Review, Lu et al. discuss the dual role of the cyclic guanosine monophosphate–adenosine monophosphate synthase (cGAS)–stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway in cancer, emphasizing its involvement in both tumour suppression and promotion. They highlight the diverse sources of pathway activation and suggest that this functional duality may underlie the limited clinical success of cGAS–STING targeting in cancer therapy.
- Changzheng Lu
- Wenyan Wang
- Yang-Xin Fu