Research advances in apoptosis-mediated cancer therapy: a review

Apoptosis (programmed cell death) research has received much attention because of its wide-ranging implications in tissue kinetics. The ability of malignant cells to evade apoptosis is a hallmark of cancer, and their resistance to apoptosis constitutes an important clinical problem. Targeting proteins from the apoptotic signaling pathways for cancer therapy is currently an important research strategy, with some compounds entering clinical trials as novel therapeutic drugs in cancer medicine. These compounds may target the apoptosis machinery or may be inhibitors of growth factors that kill tumor cells via apoptosis. This review summarizes current observations in the literature related to recent research developments in apoptosis-mediated cancer therapy.