Inflammation and Oxidative DNA Damage: A Dangerous Synergistic Pathway to Cancer

Abstract

Genetic changes are central to the development of cancer and endow the cancer cells with pro-survival characteristics. These include sustained proliferative signaling, evading growth suppressors, resisting cell death, enabling replicative immortality, inducing angiogenesis, activating invasion, and, ultimately, enabling metastatic potential. Tumor promotion and progression are dependent on secondary processes provided by cells of the tumor environment (e.g., the cells of the immune system). Inflammation is widely accepted to lead to tumorigenesis, mainly due to the induction of oxidative stress, DNA damage, and accumulation of resulting mutations. Inflammation also affects immune surveillanc..