In cancer, complex intracellular and intercellular signals constantly evolve for the advantage of the tumour cells but to the disadvantage of the whole organism. Decades of intensive research have revealed the critical roles of cellular signalling pathways in regulating complex cell behaviours which influence tumour development, growth and therapeutic response, and ultimately patient outcome. Most studies have focussed on specific pathways and the resulting tumour cell function in a rather linear fashion, partly due to the available methodologies and partly due to the traditionally reductionist approach to research. Advances in cancer research, including genomic technologies have led to a deep appreciation of the complex signals and pathway interactions operating in tumour cells. In this review we examine the role and interaction of three major cell signalling pathways, PI3K, MAPK and cAMP, in regulating tumour cell functions and discuss the prospects for exploiting this knowledge to better treat difficult to treat cancers, using glioblastoma, the most common and deadly malignant brain cancer, as the example disease.

中文翻译：

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理解和利用恶性脑癌中的细胞信号汇聚节点和通路串扰。

在癌症中，复杂的细胞内和细胞间信号不断发展，有利于肿瘤细胞，但不利于整个生物体。数十年的深入研究揭示了细胞信号通路在调节影响肿瘤发展，生长和治疗反应以及最终患者预后的复杂细胞行为中的关键作用。大多数研究都以相当线性的方式集中于特定的途径和所产生的肿瘤细胞功能，部分原因是由于可用的方法，部分原因是由于传统上的还原论研究方法。癌症研究的进展，包括基因组技术，已引起人们对在肿瘤细胞中起作用的复杂信号和途径相互作用的深刻理解。