Apoptosis and the Prognostic Significance of p53 Mutation

The use of radiation and chemotherapy in the treatment of human malignancy has had a dramatic impact on prolonging the disease-free interval but has not substantially affected long-term patient survival. One reason for this failure is that some tumors respond poorly to either form of treatment or become nonresponsive upon tumor relapse. Since the identification of therapeutic agents has been empirical, the molecular mechanisms that determine treatment effectiveness remain largely unknown.