Wioletta Arendt

From Adhesion to Invasion: Integrins, Focal Adhesion Signaling, and Actin Binding Proteins in Cervical Cancer Progression—A Scoping Review

Background: Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the most common malignancies in women worldwide. Its progression involves a cascade of processes, including proliferation, migration, invasion, and metastasis. Each stage is regulated by specific signaling pathways. Objective: This scoping review aimed to map current evidence on the role of cell adhesion-related molecules, including integrins, focal adhesion (FA) proteins, and actin-binding proteins (ABPs), in CC progression. These protein groups act in a coordinated manner—integrins perceive and transmit extracellular matrix (ECM) signals, FA proteins mediate intracellular signaling, and ABPs reorganize the cytoskeleton, ensuring the continuity of adhesion and motility processes. Methods: A structured literature search was conducted for studies published between 2015 and 2025. Eligible articles described the role of adhesion-related proteins in migration, invasion, or EMT in CC. Data were synthesized thematically according to protein families. Results: The evidence highlights integrins, FA/FAK, and ABPs as interconnected regulators coordinating ECM signaling and cytoskeletal remodeling during CC progression. Their dysregulation is associated with enhanced migration, EMT induction, angiogenesis, and therapy resistance. Conclusions: This review provides a unique, integrated perspective linking adhesion molecules with invasion mechanisms in CC progression, providing new insights into their interplay. Understanding the interaction between these proteins is therefore a crucial step in the treatment of CC and may facilitate the discovery of biomarkers and support the development of targeted therapies.