Abstract

Defects in cell-death pathways are hallmarks of cancer. Although resistance to apoptosis is closely linked to tumorigenesis, tumour cells can still be induced to die by non-apoptotic mechanisms, such as necrosis, senescence, autophagy and mitotic catastrophe. The molecular pathways that underlie these non-apoptotic responses remain unclear. Several apoptotic and non-apoptotic pathways of cell death have been defined in normal physiology and during tumorigenesis, and these could potentially be manipulated to develop new cancer therapies. The mitotic-checkpoint molecule survivin — the inactivation of which induces the death of p53-deficient cells by mitotic catastrophe — is of particular interest.

Author affiliations

1. Institute for Breast Cancer Research/Ontario Cancer Institute, 620 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 2C1
   Email: tmak@uhnres.utoronto.ca

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