Oncogenes and Tumor Suppressor Genes in Tumorigenesis of the Endocrine System

Abstract

Tumor formation is a multistep process that involves uncoupling of the interdependent mechanisms of cell proliferation and differentiation. Mutations of either proto-oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes may confer growth advantage to mutant cells, enabling them to proliferate more rapidly than normal cells and to alter their interaction with their surroundings, resulting in local invasion and or distant metastases. Studies of cellular protooncogenes and tumor suppressor genes during the past decade have yielded major advances in the understanding of the molecular basis of tumorigenesis. This chapter focuses on the role of these genes in development of tumors of the endocrine system.