Apoptosis and Cancer

Scientists have used their understanding of apoptosis and the messages the body sends to cells to develop treatments for cancer. Cancer is an uncontrolled growth or spreading of cells. By inducing apoptosis in these cells, the cancerous cells not only stop spreading but those cells are also thoroughly disposed of and unable to remain in the body to do it damage. Anti-cancer drugs and radiation trigger apoptosis in diseased cells.

Apoptosis not only plays a role in the treatment of cancer, but it plays a role in how cancer spreads as well. Some mutations within genes that can cause cancer do so by disrupting the process of apoptosis. Because cells that should be dying do not, a tumor forms and the cancer metastasizes. Other cancers can be caused when genes mutate to send out too many signals for apoptosis. This leads to apoptosis being selectively overriden because there is an overexpression of the signal for apoptosis. In particular a mutation in p53, a protien, can cause cells with damaged DNA to not undergo apoptosis like they should. This can cause tumors to develop.

Apoptosis is different from the other form of cell death, necrosis, in that necrosis occurs when there is an injury to the cell. Apoptosis occurs if triggered. Necrosis can leave dead damaged cells behind, while apoptosis removes the cell completely. Since cancer can be caused by a signal failure or mutation of a gene that controls cell growth, apoptosis and cancer are the focus of many studies instead of necrosis.