Can apoptosis in benign proliferative lesions predict risk of cancer development?
The presence of benign proliferative lesions is a risk factor for the development of cancer. However, only a subset of individuals presenting with benign lesions goes on to develop cancer. It is a major challenge of cancer research to identify those individuals at increased risk for this neoplastic progression. It has been suggested that individuals with inherent genomic instability may have a predisposition for cancer development. The hypothesis is presented that this genetic instability could be quantified through the analysis of apoptosis in biopsies of benign lesions. It is further conjectured that genetic damage-dependent apoptosis might serve as a prognostic indicator to identify individuals at increased risk for cancer.
Snyder
R D
RD
Department of Toxicology, Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Illinois, USA.
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors