Oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes had been traditionally studied in the context of cell proliferation, differentiation, senescence, and survival, four relatively cell-autonomous processes. Consequently, in the late ’80s-early ’90s, neoplastic growth was described largely as an imbalance between net cell accumulation and loss, brought about through mutations in cancer genes. In the last ten years, a more holistic understanding of cancer has slowly emerged, stressing the importance of interactions between neoplastic and various stromal components: extracellular matrix, basement membranes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells of blood and lymphatic vessels, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, etc. The commonly held view is that changes in tumor microenvironment are “soft-wired”, i.e., epigenetic in nature and often reversible. Yet, there exists a large body of evidence suggesting that well-known mutations in cancer genes profoundly affect tumor milieu. In fact, these non-cell-autonomous changes might be one of the primary reasons such mutations are preserved in late-stage tumors.
Type: BOOK - Published: 2010-01-23 - Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes had been traditionally studied in the context of cell proliferation, differentiation, senescence, and survival, four relatively cell-autonomous processes. Consequently, in the late ’80s-early ’90s, neoplastic growth was described largely as an imbalance between net cell accumulation and loss, brought about through mutations in cancer genes.
Authors: Michael Fraser, Alejandro Berlin, Veronique Ouellet, Fred Saad, Robert G. Bristow
Categories: Medical
Type: BOOK - Published: 2013-11-21 - Publisher: Elsevier Inc. Chapters
Prostate cancer (CaP) is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in men in the Western world. In North America, more than 275000 men are diagnosed annually whereby approximately 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with CaP in their lifetime, and 1 in 34 men will die from castrate-resistant metastatic disease.
Authors: Yin Ren (Ph. D.), Harvard--MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology
Categories: Medical
Type: BOOK - Published: 2012 - Publisher:
Efforts to sequence cancer genomes have begun to uncover comprehensive lists of genes altered in cancer. Unfortunately, the number and complexity of identified alterations has made dissecting the underlying biology of cancer difficult, as many genes are not amenable to manipulation by small molecules or antibodies. RNA interference (RNAi) provides