ABSTRACT
One out of four deaths in the United States is due to some form of cancer [1]. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 570,000 Americans will die due to cancer in 2010, which means more than 1,500 people are dying per day from this disease. Cancer is the second leading cause of death after heart disease in the United States [2]. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) denes cancer as a disease “in which abnormal cells divide without control and can invade nearby tissues. Cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems” [3]. In terms of a single cell, mutations in cell cycle control genes [4], growth factors [5], transcription factors [6], and degradation pathways [7] induce cellular transformation. Immortalization, growth in reduced serum, anchorage-independent growth, loss of contact inhibition, and tumor formation in nude mice are general characteristics of transformed cells [8-10]. Full cellular transformation is an indicator of tumorigenic potential.
