This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) CME: Take the course for this article: Chemotherapeutic Approaches for Targeting Cell Death Pathways eLetters: Submit a response to this article Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services E-mail this article link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints/Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ricci, M. S. Articles by Zong, W.-X. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ricci, M. S. Articles by Zong, W.-X.

Immunotherapy, Monoclonals, and Vaccines

Chemotherapeutic Approaches for Targeting Cell Death Pathways

^a National Cancer Institute and Food and Drug Administration Interagency Oncology Task Force, Bethesda, Maryland, USA; ^b Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA

Key Words. Chemotherapy • Apoptosis • Necrosis • Autophagy • Senescence • Mitotic catastrophe

Wei-Xing Zong, Ph.D., Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Stony Brook University, 128 Life Sciences Building, Stony Brook, New York 11794-5222, USA. Telephone: 631-632-4104; Fax: 631-632-9797; e-mail: wzong{at}notes.cc.sunysb.edu

For several decades, apoptosis has taken center stage as the principal mechanism of programmed cell death in mammalian tissues. It also has been increasingly noted that conventional chemotherapeutic agents not only elicit apoptosis but other forms of nonapoptotic death such as necrosis, autophagy, mitotic catastrophe, and senescence. This review presents background on the signaling pathways involved in the different cell death outcomes. A re-examination of what we know about chemotherapy-induced death is vitally important in light of new understanding of nonapoptotic cell death signaling pathways. If we can precisely activate or inhibit molecules that mediate the diversity of cell death outcomes, perhaps we can succeed in more effective and less toxic chemotherapeutic regimens.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				F. Lefranc, V. Facchini, and R. Kiss Proautophagic Drugs: A Novel Means to Combat Apoptosis-Resistant Cancers, with a Special Emphasis on Glioblastomas Oncologist, December 1, 2007; 12(12): 1395 - 1403. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. B. Stevens, G. Liu, S. W. Bremer, K. J. Ye, W. Xu, J. Xu, Y. Sun, G. S. Wu, S. Savasan, S. A. Krawetz, et al. Mitotic Cell Death by Chromosome Fragmentation Cancer Res., August 15, 2007; 67(16): 7686 - 7694. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. H. Olofsson, T. Ueno, Y. Pan, R. Xu, F. Cai, H. van der Kuip, T. E. Muerdter, M. Sonnenberg, W. E. Aulitzky, S. Schwarz, et al. Cytokeratin-18 Is a Useful Serum Biomarker for Early Determination of Response of Breast Carcinomas to Chemotherapy Clin. Cancer Res., June 1, 2007; 13(11): 3198 - 3206. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. S. Choe, Z. Chen, C. M. Klass, X. Zhang, and D. M. Shin Enhancement of Docetaxel-Induced Cytotoxicity by Blocking Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and Cyclooxygenase-2 Pathways in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck Clin. Cancer Res., May 15, 2007; 13(10): 3015 - 3023. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]