Programmed Cell Death, from a Cancer Perspective: An Overview

• Published in: Molecular diagnosis & therapy Vol. 22; no. 3; pp. 281 - 295
• Main Authors: Mishra, Abhay P., Salehi, Bahare, Sharifi-Rad, Mehdi, Pezzani, Raffaele, Kobarfard, Farzad, Sharifi-Rad, Javad, Nigam, Manisha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.06.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Apoptosis; Apoptosis - drug effects; Apoptosis - genetics; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins - genetics; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins - metabolism; Autophagy; Autophagy - drug effects; Autophagy - genetics; Autophagy-Related Proteins - genetics; Autophagy-Related Proteins - metabolism; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cancer; Cancer Research; Cancer therapies; Cell death; Cell division; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Homeostasis; Human Genetics; Humans; Kinases; Laboratory Medicine; Ligands; Molecular Medicine; Molecular Targeted Therapy - methods; Morphology; Mortality; Necrosis - genetics; Necrosis - metabolism; Necrosis - pathology; Neoplasm Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; Neoplasm Proteins - genetics; Neoplasm Proteins - metabolism; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Neoplasms - genetics; Neoplasms - metabolism; Neoplasms - pathology; Pathogenesis; Pharmacotherapy; Protein Kinases - genetics; Protein Kinases - metabolism; Proteins; Review Article; Signal Transduction; Therapeutic applications; Therapy; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 - genetics; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 - metabolism
• ISSN: 1177-1062; 1179-2000
• DOI: 10.1007/s40291-018-0329-9

Programmed cell death (PCD) is probably the most widely discussed subject among the topics of cancer therapy. Over the last 2 decades an astonishing boost in our perception of cell death has been seen, and its role in cancer and cancer therapy has been thoroughly investigated. A number of discoveries have clarified the molecular mechanism of PCD, thus expounding the link between PCD and therapeutic tools. Even though PCD is assumed to play a major role in anticancer therapy, the clinical relevance of its induction remains uncertain. Since PCD involves multiple death programs including programmed necrosis and autophagic cell death, it has contributed to our better understanding of cancer pathogenesis and therapeutics. In this review, we discuss a brief outline of PCD types as well as their role in cancer therapeutics. Since irregularities in the cell death process are frequently found in various cancers, key proteins governing cell death type could be used as therapeutic targets for a wide range of cancer.