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

• Published in: Ai zheng Vol. 33; no. 2; pp. 47 - 50
• Main Authors: Wang, Rui-An, Li, Zeng-Shan, Yan, Qing-Guo, Bian, Xiu-Wu, Ding, Yan-Qing, Du, Xiang, Sun, Bao-Cun, Sun, Yun-Tian, Zhang, Xiang-Hong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Department of Pathology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710032, P. R. China%Department of Pathology, The Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, P. R. China%Department of Pathology, Nanfang Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, P. R. China%Department of Pathology, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, P. R. China%Department of Pathology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300192, P. R. China%Department of Pathology, Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy for Medical Sciences, Beijing 100021, P. R. China%Department of Pathology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050017, P. R. China 01-02-2014; Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis - physiology; Bax蛋白; bcl-2-Associated X Protein - metabolism; Bcl-2蛋白; Biomarkers, Tumor - metabolism; Carcinogenesis - metabolism; Caspase 3 - metabolism; Caspase-3; Controversy; fas Receptor - metabolism; Humans; Lymphoma, B-Cell - metabolism; Lymphoma, B-Cell - pathology; Neoplasms - metabolism; Neoplasms - pathology; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 - metabolism; Treatment Outcome; 抗凋亡蛋白; 抗细胞凋亡; 有丝分裂; 癌症患者; 过度表达; Bcl-2; apoptosis; halmark; Cancer
• ISSN: 1000-467X; 1944-446X
• DOI: 10.5732/cjc.013.10131

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.