Resisting cell death

Definition

Resisting cell death refers to the ability of cancer cells to evade the normal mechanisms that lead to programmed cell death, or apoptosis. This characteristic is a hallmark of cancer and allows tumor cells to survive and proliferate uncontrollably, contributing to tumor growth and resistance to therapies that typically induce cell death in healthy cells. By bypassing the signals that would typically trigger apoptosis, cancer cells can endure harsh conditions that would normally be lethal.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Cancer cells often acquire mutations in genes related to apoptosis, enabling them to survive longer than normal cells.
2. The ability to resist cell death is linked to a range of mechanisms, including upregulation of anti-apoptotic proteins like Bcl-2 and downregulation of pro-apoptotic factors.
3. Chemotherapy and radiation therapies typically aim to induce apoptosis in cancer cells; thus, resistance to cell death poses a major challenge in treatment.
4. Resisting cell death contributes not only to tumor growth but also to metastasis, as these cells can survive during the transition to other tissues.
5. Targeting the pathways that allow cancer cells to resist apoptosis is an area of active research in developing new cancer therapies.

Review Questions

• How does resisting cell death contribute to the overall progression and treatment challenges of cancer?
  • Resisting cell death is crucial for cancer progression as it allows tumor cells to survive under conditions that would normally trigger cell death. This survival mechanism enables continuous growth and division of cancer cells, leading to larger tumors and potential metastasis. Additionally, many conventional therapies rely on inducing apoptosis in cancer cells; when these cells resist such signals, it complicates treatment effectiveness and leads to treatment failures.
• In what ways do oncogenes play a role in the ability of cancer cells to resist apoptosis?
  • Oncogenes can promote uncontrolled cell growth and division by encoding proteins that inhibit apoptotic pathways. For instance, mutations in oncogenes may lead to the overexpression of anti-apoptotic proteins like Bcl-2 or downregulate pro-apoptotic proteins. This dysregulation results in a cellular environment where cancer cells are less likely to undergo programmed cell death, contributing significantly to their survival and proliferation.
• Evaluate the potential therapeutic strategies aimed at overcoming resistance to cell death in cancer treatment and their implications for patient outcomes.
  • Therapeutic strategies aimed at overcoming resistance to cell death include the development of drugs that specifically target anti-apoptotic proteins or enhance pro-apoptotic signaling. For instance, inhibitors of Bcl-2 family proteins are being investigated for their ability to restore apoptosis in resistant tumors. The successful implementation of these strategies has the potential to improve patient outcomes significantly by making previously resistant cancers more susceptible to standard treatments, thereby reducing tumor burden and improving survival rates.

Related terms

Apoptosis: A form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms, characterized by cell shrinkage, chromatin condensation, and DNA fragmentation.

Survivin: An anti-apoptotic protein that inhibits apoptosis and promotes cell survival, often overexpressed in various cancers.

Oncogenes: Genes that have the potential to cause cancer when mutated or expressed at high levels, often contributing to the evasion of apoptosis.