ABSTRACT
Oncogenes activated in human tumors can be classified into two general categories: those promoting cell proliferation and those preventing cell death. The development and progression of cancer depends upon an imbalance between the two categories of genes. Because the disease course of myeloma is characterized by the latent accumulation of well-differentiated plasma cells that typically display low proliferative activity, it is reasonable to consider mechanisms that dysregulate the process of cell death as an initial step in the transformation process.
