doi: 10.5732/cjc.013.10131

Resistance to apoptosis should not be taken as a hallmark of cancer

Rui-An Wang, Zeng-Shan Li, Qing-Guo Yan, Xiu-Wu Bian, Yan-Qing Ding, Xiang Du, Bao-Cun Sun, Yun-Tian Sun, Xiang-Hong Zhang

Department of Pathology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710032, P. R. China

[Abstract] In the research community, resistance to apoptosis is often considered a hallmark of cancer. However, pathologists who diagnose cancer via microscope often see the opposite. Indeed, increased apoptosis and mitosis are usually observed simultaneously in cancerous lesions. Studies have shown that increased apoptosis is associated with cancer aggressiveness and poor clinical outcome. Furthermore, overexpression of Bcl-2, an antiapoptotic protein, is linked with better survival of cancer patients. Conversely, Bax, CD95, Caspase-3, and other apoptosis-inducing proteins have been found to promote carcinogenesis. This notion of the role of apoptosis in cancer is not new; cancer cells were found to be short-lived 88 years ago. Given these observations, resistance to apoptosis should not be considered a hallmark of cancer.

Chinese Journal of Cancer 2014, Volume: 33, Issue 2, Page: 47-50

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Rui-An Wang, Zeng-Shan Li, Qing-Guo Yan, Xiu-Wu Bian, Yan-Qing Ding, Xiang Du, Bao-Cun Sun, Yun-Tian Sun, Xiang-Hong Zhang. Resistance to apoptosis should not be taken as a hallmark of cancer. Chin J Cancer. 2014, 33(2):47-50. doi:10.5732/cjc.013.10131


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