Role of transforming growth factor beta in cancer.
Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) is an effective and ubiquitous mediator of cell growth. The significance of this cytokine in cancer susceptibility, cancer development and progression has become apparent over the past few years. TGF-beta plays various roles in the process of malignant progression. It is a potent inhibitor of normal stromal, hematopoietic, and epithelial cell growth. However, at some point during cancer development the majority of transformed cells become either partly or completely resistant to TGF-beta growth inhibition. There is growing evidence that in the later stages of cancer development TGF-beta is actively secreted by tumor cells and not merely acts as a bystander but rather contributes to cell growth, invasion, and metastasis and decreases host-tumor immune responses. Subtle alteration of TGF-beta signaling may also contribute to the development of cancer. These various effects are tissue and tumor dependent. Identifying and understanding TGF-beta signaling pathway abnormalities in various malignancies is a promising avenue of study that may yield new modalities to both prevent and treat cancer. The nature, prevalence, and significance of TGF-beta signaling pathway alterations in various forms of human cancer as well as potential preventive and therapeutic interventions are discussed in this review.
Pasche
B
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Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Medical School, 710 North Fairbanks, Room 8410, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. b-pasche@northwestern.edu
D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000502:physiology*
D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta