title: Update on the molecular biology of malignant mesothelioma.
abstract: Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a highly aggressive tumor with a very poor prognosis. The disease is largely unresponsive to conventional chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and most patients die within 10-17 months of the first symptoms. Novel, more effective therapeutic strategies are needed for this inexorably fatal disease. Improvement in our understanding of the molecular biology of MM has identified promising new candidates for targeted treatments. In this review the key molecular signaling pathways, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), Wnt, and the cell cycle control genes p53, pRb, and bcl-2 that appear to play an important role in the pathogenesis of MM are explored.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.
authors.forename: Amie Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Dan J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Raz
authors.forename: Biao
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Jablons
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008967:Molecular Biology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents