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Nature 431, 405-406 (23 September 2004) | doi:10.1038/431405a; Published online 22 September 2004

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Cancer:  An inflammatory link

Fran Balkwill1 & Lisa M. Coussens2

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The NF-kappaB protein is a key player in inflammation. It now seems that it might also activate signalling pathways, in both cancer cells and tumour-associated inflammatory cells, that promote malignancy.

Inflammation is central to our fight against pathogens, but if it is not ordered and timely, the resulting chronic inflammation can contribute to diseases such as arthritis, heart attacks and Alzheimer's disease. A functional link between chronic inflammation and cancer has also long been suspected1, 2: population-based studies show that susceptibility to cancer increases when tissues are chronically inflamed; and long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs reduces the risk of several cancers3.

  1. Fran Balkwill is in the Cancer Research UK Translational Oncology Laboratory, Barts and The London Queen Mary's Medical School, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK.
    e-mail: frances.balkwill@cancer.org.uk
  2. Lisa M. Coussens is at the Cancer Research Institute, Department of Pathology and Comprehensive Cancer Centre, University of California at San Francisco, 2340 Sutter Street, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.
    e-mail: Email: coussens@cc.ucsf.edu

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