Growth factors and cancer

Abstract

Recent advantages in protein chemistry and genetic engineering have revealed new information about the molecular lesions involved in the induction and maintenance of cancer cells. It is known that a single base change in the DNA of human cells leads to cancer. The normal pathway of proliferation and differentiation is perturbed by changes to molecules involved in the intracellular biochemical pathways controlled by growth factors. Some cancer cells appear to produce their own growth factor, others have higher concentrations of growth factor receptors on their surface and others have mutated versions of the intracellular proteins linked to the growth factor receptors. This increased understan..