Cancer Pathways

Proliferation, differentiation, and survival of normal cells are regulated by a limited number of signaling pathways, which are partly interlinked. They transmit and integrate signals from growth factors, hormones, cell-cell- and cellmatrix-interactions. The pathways turn into ‘cancer pathways’ by deregulation. Inappropriate activation of ‘cancer pathways’ in some cases and inactivation in others are crucial for the development and progression of human cancers. In particular, many proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressors act within or upon ‘cancer pathways’.