[Growth factor and signal transduction in lung cancer cell]

Growth factors are molecules that participate in the control of cell proliferation. They require specific receptors on the target cell and intracellular signaling pathways to transmit the stimulus to the nucleus. Growth factors can stimulate or inhibit cell division. Most of the factors implicated in lung cancer growth are thought to act through positive feedback loops in which factors secreted by the cancer cells bind to receptors on their own surfaces(autocrine stimulation) or those of neighboring cells (paracrine stimulation). Abnormal expression of growth factors, their receptors, or components of their signaling pathways can result in the unrestrained growth of cancer. In this review, we described outlines of the growth factors, their receptors, signal transduction pathways, as well as their clinical applications.