Restoring p53 tumor suppressor activity as an anticancer therapeutic strategy.

Loss of p53 tumor suppressor function is a key event in the genesis of most human tumors. This observation has prompted efforts to restore p53 activity as an anticancer therapeutic approach. Recent developments that have extended our understanding of how p53 activity is regulated and how mutations disrupt that regulation have provided the insight needed to develop therapeutic strategies that take advantage of this knowledge. In this article, we review the strategies for restoring p53 function and some of the new compounds that show promise as antitumor agents in preclinical models.