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Dissecting the apoptotic mechanisms of chemotherapeutic drugs and lymphocytes to design effective anticancer therapies
Author(s) -
Ruefli Astrid A.,
Davis Joanne E.,
Sutton Vivien R.,
Trapani Joseph A.,
Smyth Mark J.,
Johnstone Ricky W.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
drug development research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.582
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1098-2299
pISSN - 0272-4391
DOI - 10.1002/ddr.1158
Subject(s) - immune system , cancer research , apoptosis , chemotherapy , programmed cell death , immunotherapy , immunogenic cell death , drug , biology , disease , immunology , chemotherapeutic drugs , medicine , pharmacology , biochemistry
It has now been demonstrated that chemotherapeutic drugs and killer cells can activate both common and unique programmed cell death pathways to effectively eliminate tumor cells. Although chemotherapy and radiation treatments are effective methods of reducing tumor burden, minimal residual disease often enables the recurrence and emergence of more resistant and aggressive tumors. Immune cells have evolved over millions of years to discriminate self from nonself and to destroy cells that harbor pathogens. Therefore, enhancing innate immune response in combination with chemotherapy or irradiation may offer improved treatment of many cancers—in particular, hematological malignancies. Better understanding and dissection of cell death pathways may advance the development of more effective chemotherapeutic and immunotherapeutic therapies that can activate specific apoptotic pathways to overcome the antiapoptotic effects of tumorigenic genetic mutations. Drug Dev. Res. 52:549–557, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.