Abstract
Maintaining a tumour cell's resistance to apoptosis (organized cell death) is essential
for cancer to metastasize. Signal molecules play a critical function in the tightly regulated apoptotic
process. Apoptosis may be triggered by a wide variety of cellular stresses, including DNA damage,
but its ultimate goal is always the same: the removal of damaged cells that might otherwise
develop into tumours. Many chemotherapy drugs rely on cancer cells being able to undergo apoptosis
as a means of killing them. The mechanisms by which DNA-damaging agents trigger apoptosis,
the interplay between pro- and apoptosis-inducing signals, and the potential for alteration of these
pathways in cancer are the primary topics of this review.
Keywords:
Apoptosis, extrinsic pathway, p38 signaling, cancer, DNA damage, genetic therapy.
Graphical Abstract
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