Apoptosis and Cancer: Force Awakens, Phantom Menace, or Both?

Apoptotic cell death serves as an important tumor suppressor mechanism at multiple steps during cancer progression. Equally, engagement of apoptosis represents a potent therapeutic effector mechanism. Nevertheless, the role of apoptosis in cancer may be more complex than previously thought. Indeed, various studies have found that apoptosis signaling also has oncogenic potential. In this review, we discuss how apoptosis can promote cancer and how these effects might be targeted to optimize apoptosis-inducing anticancer therapy.