title: Resistance to apoptosis should not be taken as a hallmark of cancer.
abstract: In the research community, resistance to apoptosis is often considered a hallmark of cancer. However, pathologists who diagnose cancer via microscope often see the opposite. Indeed, increased apoptosis and mitosis are usually observed simultaneously in cancerous lesions. Studies have shown that increased apoptosis is associated with cancer aggressiveness and poor clinical outcome. Furthermore, overexpression of Bcl-2, an antiapoptotic protein, is linked with better survival of cancer patients. Conversely, Bax, CD95, Caspase-3, and other apoptosis-inducing proteins have been found to promote carcinogenesis. This notion of the role of apoptosis in cancer is not new; cancer cells were found to be short-lived 88 years ago. Given these observations, resistance to apoptosis should not be considered a hallmark of cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710032, P. R. China. wangra@fmmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Rui-An
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zeng-Shan
authors.initials: ZS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qing-Guo
authors.initials: QG
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Xiu-Wu
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Bian
authors.forename: Yan-Qing
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Bao-Cun
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Yun-Tian
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Xiang-Hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D063646:Carcinogenesis / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D019014:fas Receptor; D053148:Caspase 3