Signaling pathways in apoptosis as potential targets-for cancer therapy

Genetic instability contributes to the origin of cancer as well as to the a bility of cancer cells to become resistant to various therapies. Because of this, cytotoxic rather than cytostatic therapies might be most effective a gainst this disease. Many oncogenes and tumor suppressors mediate their eff ects by interfering with or inducing apoptotic signaling. Thus, apoptotic p athways might be significantly altered in cancer cells relative to untransf ormed cells, and these differences might present a therapeutic window that can be exploited for development of cancer drugs.