Encyclopedia of Health and Medicine

tumor suppressor genes 397
See also CANCER PREVENTION; DIAGNOSING CANCER;
ONCOGENES; TUMOR SUPPRESSOR GENES.
tumor suppressor genes Genes that stop cell
growth, preventing tumor development. In
health, tumor suppressor genes direct the production
of proteins to block cell division when there
are abnormalities in the cell, such as DNA damage.
When mutated, tumor suppressor genes lose the
ability to influence cell division. Cells may then
proliferate without regulation, the foundation of
cancer. MOLECULARLY TARGETED THERAPIES and MONO-
CLONAL ANTIBODIES (MABS) show significant promise
for altering the function of mutated tumor suppressor
genes to restore their ability to block cell
growth.
Gene
APC
BRCA-1/BRCA-2
MEN-1/MEN-2
NF1/NF2
PTEN
Rb
TP53 (p53)
WT1
IDENTIFIED TUMOR SUPPRESSOR GENES
Cancer Connection
COLORECTAL CANCER
BREAST CANCER, OVARIAN CANCER
MULTIPLE ENDOCRINE NEOPLASIA (MEN)
NEUROFIBROMATOSIS
THYROID CANCER
RETINOBLASTOMA, osteosarcoma, breast
cancer, LUNG CANCER
lung cancer, breast cancer, LIVER CANCER,
CERVICAL CANCER, SKIN CANCER, PROSTATE
CANCER, ovarian cancer
WILMS’S TUMOR
See also CELL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION; GENE;
ONCOGENES.