The redox paradox in HGGs: ROS as drivers and destroyers

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are essential second-messenger molecules, yet when deregulated, they fuel cancer growth and therapeutic resistance. In high-grade gliomas, including glioblastoma, diffuse hemispheric glioma, and diffuse midline glioma (DMG), genetic, epigenetic, and metabolic alterations drive chronic ROS production and redox imbalance. This oxidative stress promotes DNA damage, epigenetic reprogramming, tumor growth, and immune escape. In DMG, global DNA and histone hypomethylation are amplified by oxidative stress, while ROS-dependent Ras/Raf/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathways reinforce tumor survival. Paradoxically, the same ROS create an intrinsic vulnerability as excess ROS can overwhelm defenses and trigger cytotoxicity. Targeting ROS is challenging; however, new strategies, including NADPH oxidase inhibition, metabolic modulation, and ROS-inducing therapies, reveal vulnerabilities. Understanding this redox paradox is critical to exposing therapeutic vulnerabilities and improving outcomes for patients with these deadly cancers.