Open Access
REVIEW
Mechanisms adopted by cancer cells to escape apoptosis–A review
SAYEQUA DANDOTI*
Department of Basic Sciences, Deanship of Preparatory Year & Supporting Studies, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, 34212, Saudi Arabia
* Address correspondence to: Sayequa Dandoti,
BIOCELL 2021, 45(4), 863-884. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2021.013993
Received 28 August 2020; Accepted 03 November 2020; Issue published 22 April 2021
Abstract
Inactivation of apoptosis is the prime phenomenon in cancer development and cancer treatments. Mutations in
the apoptotic pathway not only exert resistance to apoptosis and provide a survival advantage to cancer cells but also
confer resistance to cancer therapies. Escaping apoptosis is the “hallmark” of cancer cells. Cancer cells can withstand
many apoptotic stimuli, such as DNA damage, unfavorable environments, and cytotoxic therapies. Substantial
research has been carried out and is in good progress on the various mechanisms adopted by cancer cells to evade
apoptosis. This article reviews the apoptosis escape mechanisms by cancer cells, viz. apoptotic gene alterations (in few
essential and accessory apoptotic genes), post-translational modifications (phosphorylation and ubiquitination of
apoptotic proteins), metabolic alterations, mitochondrial alterations, immunity escape, epigenetics, cancer cell
dormancy, cancer clonal theory, and reversibility of apoptosis. The review reveals that there is a wide scope for
further research to address the various challenges in realizing successful cancer therapies that involve reversing the
apoptotic resistance and/or inducing apoptosis in tumor cells.
Keywords
Cite This Article
APA Style
DANDOTI, S. (2021). Mechanisms adopted by cancer cells to escape apoptosis–a review. BIOCELL, 45(4), 863-884. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2021.013993
Vancouver Style
DANDOTI S. Mechanisms adopted by cancer cells to escape apoptosis–a review. BIOCELL . 2021;45(4):863-884 https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2021.013993
IEEE Style
S. DANDOTI, "Mechanisms adopted by cancer cells to escape apoptosis–A review," BIOCELL , vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 863-884. 2021. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2021.013993
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