IDENTIFICATION OF SPONTANEOUS PROGRAMMED CELL-DEATH DURING DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN BREAST-CANCER

Breast tumorigenesis proceeds through an accumulation of specific gene tic alteration. Breast malignant transformation is dependent not only on the rate of cell production but also on apoptosis, a genetically pr ogrammed process of autonomous cell death. We investigated whether bre ast tumorigenesis involves an altered susceptibility to apoptosis by e xamining normal breast epithelium and breast cancer samples. We found there is a significant inhibition of spontaneous apoptosis in breast c ancer cells compared with normal breast epithelium. The inhibition of apoptosis in breast cancer may contribute to neoplastic transformation .