Life, death, and autophagy in cancer: NF-κB turns up everywhere

Abstract

Escaping programmed cell death is a hallmark of cancer. NF-κB transcription factors are key regulator of cell survival and aberrant NF-κB signaling has been involved in the pathogenesis of most human malignancies. Although NF-κB is best known for its antiapoptotic role, other processes regulating the life/death balance, such as autophagy and necroptosis, seem to network with NF-κB. This review discusses how the reciprocal regulation of NF-κB, autophagy and programmed cell death affect cancer development and progression.