Ironing out cancer.

New insights into the roles of proteins that regulate cellular iron in cancer growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis have recently emerged. Discoveries of the roles of ferroportin, hepcidin, lipocalin 2, and members of the six transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate (STEAP) and iron regulatory protein (IRP) families in cancer have provided specificity and molecular definition to the role of iron homeostasis in cancer growth and metastasis. A number of studies directly support a role of these proteins in modifying bioavailable iron, whereas other studies suggest that at least some of their effects are independent of their role in iron biology. ©2011 AACR.