kræfthallmarks

kræfthallmarks are a term used in some Nordic languages, specifically Danish and Norwegian, to describe the characteristic cellular and molecular changes that occur in cancerous cells. These hallmarks are not specific to any single type of cancer but rather represent fundamental biological capabilities that cancer cells acquire to enable their uncontrolled growth, survival, and spread. Understanding these hallmarks is crucial for developing effective cancer treatments and diagnostics.

The original set of cancer hallmarks, proposed by Hanahan and Weinberg, includes sustaining proliferative signaling, evading growth suppressors, resisting cell death, enabling replicative immortality, inducing angiogenesis, and activating invasion and metastasis. Over time, additional hallmarks and capabilities have been recognized, such as deregulating cellular energetics, avoiding immune destruction, genome instability and mutation, and tumor-promoting inflammation.

Sustaining proliferative signaling refers to the ability of cancer cells to generate their own growth signals or to respond abnormally to external signals, leading to continuous cell division. Evading growth suppressors involves overcoming the normal cellular mechanisms that limit proliferation. Resisting cell death (apoptosis) allows cancer cells to survive even when they are damaged or abnormal. Enabling replicative immortality means cancer cells can divide indefinitely, often by reactivating telomerase. Inducing angiogenesis is the process by which tumors stimulate the formation of new blood vessels to supply them with nutrients and oxygen. Activating invasion and metastasis is the ability of cancer cells to break away from the primary tumor, travel through the bloodstream or lymphatic system, and form secondary tumors in distant parts of the body. The newer hallmarks highlight the complex interplay between cancer cells and their microenvironment, including metabolic reprogramming, immune evasion, and the role of genetic instability and inflammation in cancer development and progression.