title: Anti-apoptosis mechanisms in malignant gliomas.
abstract: Malignant gliomas are characterized by an intrinsic resistance to apoptosis. Increasing evidence suggests that this is a fundamental mechanism by which gliomas evade elimination when treated with both conventional and targeted therapies. In this review, we describe the multiple anti-apoptotic signals that have been demonstrated to be active in malignant gliomas. We describe the preclinical evidence that suggests that targeting those signaling anomalies can increase tumor responsiveness and enhance the elimination of gliomas in preclinical models. We discuss recent advances in translating pro-apoptotic compounds to clinical trial, and the potential for implementing agents that target the apoptotic pathway as a strategy for improving the outcomes for patients with high-grade gliomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. d.ziegler@unsw.edu.au
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Ziegler
authors.forename: Andrew L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Kung
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Kieran
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005910:Glioma / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents