Genentech BioOncology continues to identify and investigate new approaches to targeting the hallmarks of cancer. Through our current research focus on angiogenesis, HER signaling, apoptosis, B-cell signaling, and cellular differentiation, we approach cancer research from multiple angles, helping us to elucidate the complexity of carcinogenesis and to develop targeted therapies that will address the unmet needs in cancer treatment and positively impact the lives of patients.
This figure was adapted from Cell, Vol 100, Hanahan and Weinberg, The Hallmarks of Cancer, pp 57-70, Copyright Elsevier (2000).
Understanding the Pathways to Cancer
While there are many distinct types of cancer, there are believed to be six essential alterations to normal cell physiology, which together define the progression of most human malignancies.2
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Self-sufficiency in growth signals
Normal cell proliferation depends upon the presence of growth factors produced outside of the cell. However, one of the key characteristics of the tumor cell is its capacity for proliferation without dependence on external growth factors. Tumor cells may proliferate by either internal production of growth factors or by responding to levels of external growth factors not usually sufficient to produce proliferation in normal cells.2 -
Insensitivity to antigrowth signals
In normal tissue, the stability of the cell population is maintained by a host of signals and factors inhibiting cell proliferation and differentiation. For cancer cells to survive and replicate, these antigrowth signals must be avoided.2 -
Tissue invasion and metastasis
Up to 90% of cancer deaths are due to metastatic disease. Once cancer cells leave the primary tumor and travel through the body, the ability to invade and colonize distant sites to form metastases is dependent on acquiring the ability to overcome the normal suppressors of invasion.2 -
Limitless potential for replication
Many, if not all, normal human cells are programmed to limit their own replication. However, for cells to form a potentially life-threatening tumor, the mechanisms that normally limit replication must be disrupted. For a tumor cell population to expand, it must develop unlimited replicative potential, effectively gaining "immortality."2 -
Sustained angiogenesis
In normal tissue, continued cell function is dependent on the availability of oxygen and nutrients and the removal of metabolic waste through the capillary beds. Angiogenesis — the process by which new blood vessels are formed — is not an inherent property of most cells in small, localized neoplasms. To develop into larger, potentially metastatic tumors, angiogenic ability must be acquired.2 -
Evading apoptosis
In normal tissue, the stability of the cell population is maintained through a process of programmed cell death, or apoptosis, which is latent in virtually all cell types throughout the body. Acquiring resistance to apoptosis is one of the key mechanisms by which cancer cells maintain proliferation and is thought to be a critical survival factor for the majority of tumors.2
Source: Biooncology.com