Apoptosis in cancer biology and cancer therapeutics

Abstract

Most anticancer therapies commonly used in the treatment of human cancer, e.g., chemotherapy, γ-irradiation, immunotherapy, or suicide gene therapy, kill tumor cells by triggering cell death pathways including apoptosis in cancer cells. Hence, the failure to activate such pathways may lead to the resistance of cancers to current treatment approaches. A better understanding of the molecular events that regulate apoptosis in cancers and upon cancer therapy provides the basis for a more rational approach to developing molecular targeted therapies in the fight against cancer.