Abstract
OverviewCell death is a normal facet of human physiology, ensuring tissue homeostasis by offsetting cell production with cell demise. Neoplasms arise in part because of defects in physiological cell death mechanisms, contributing to pathological cell expansion when genetic or epigenetic alternations impart a selective survival advantage to premalignant or malignant cells. Defects in normal cell death pathways also contribute to cancer progression by permitting progressively aberrant cell behaviors, while also desensitizing tumor cells to immune‐mediated attack, radiation, and chemotherapy. Multiple mechanisms that account for dysregulation of cell death mechanisms in human malignancies have been identified, providing insights into cancer pathogenesis and suggesting targets for therapeutic intervention based on the concept of restoring sensitivity to natural pathways for triggering cell suicide.
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