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Updated: Feb 26, 2026

Defining Gene Functions in Tumorigenesis by Ex vivo Ablation of Floxed Alleles in Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Cells
Published on: August 25, 2021
Developing Cures: Targeting Ontogenesis in Cancer
Victor T G Lin1, Hawley C Pruitt2, Rajeev S Samant3
1Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA.
Abstract:
Cancer has long been known to histologically resemble developing embryonic tissue. Since this early observation, a mounting body of evidence suggests that cancer mimics or co-opts developmental processes to facilitate tumor initiation and progression. Programs important in both normal ontogenesis and cancer progression broadly fall into three domains: the lineage commitment of pluripotent stem cells, the appropriation of primordial mechanisms of cell motility and invasion, and the influence of multiple aspects of the microenvironment on the parenchyma. In this review we discuss how derangements in these developmental pathways drive cancer progression with a particular focus on how they have emerged as targets of novel treatment strategies.
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