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Apoptosis in cancer: therapeutic implications
A. Negoescu
Laboratory of Cellular Pathology, University
Hospital Center (CHU), Grenoble, France
Offprint requests to: Dr.
A. Negoescu, Laboratoire de Pathologie Cellulaire, CHRU, BP 217X,
38043 Grenoble cedex 09, France. Fax: (33) 4.76.76.59.49
Summary. This
review outlines the principal limitations of the mechanisms of
active cell death (ACD, apoptosis) as the basis of tumorigenesis
and the rationale of almost all therapies of malignancy. The concentration
of cancer therapy in the directon of ACD induction is presented
as both the result of progressive understanding of the mechanisms
of apoptosis and that of the favourable tumor environment for
ACD signal transmission. The latter property induces the by-stander
killing of cancer cells, a fundamental mechanism because efficiency
of all known methods of cancer treatment is far below 100%. Finally,
recent results and hypotheses regarding cancer gene therapy based
on final inductors of apoptosis and endogeneous ACD inhibitors
in tumors are evaluated. Histol. Histopathol. 15, 281-297 (2000)
Key words: Cancer,
Apoptosis, Bax, Caspases, Alpha2 macroglobulin, By-stander killing
DOI: 10.14670/HH-15.281
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