title: Oncogenes, malignant transformation, and modern medicine.
abstract: During the past decade there have been remarkable strides in the understanding of the basic mechanism of cancer. It is now clear that there is a set of genes, known as oncogenes, that can cause cells to become malignant if their expression is altered, either by mutation or overexpression. The products of these genes include growth factors, growth factor receptors, signal tranduction proteins, and DNA binding proteins. The normal cellular counterparts of these genes play very important roles in the regulation of growth and proliferation by normal cells. Another set of genes, anti-oncogenes, also play an important role in preventing abnormal cell proliferation. The remarkable explosion of understanding of the pathophysiology of malignancy has led to a common unifying concept of malignant transformation that applies to all tumors. It is likely that these new insights will lead to improved and more specific treatments for malignant disease in the next decade.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blume
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borst
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gee
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Polansky
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rodu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shrestha
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Snyder
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy; D009857:Oncogenes; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D006133:Growth Substances; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface