[Cell cycle, tumor suppressor genes and lung cancers].

Uncontrolled proliferation is the characteristic of cancer. Several kinds of genes control the cell cycle: oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and genes implicated in apoptosis or survival. Two major pathways of control are frequently disrupted in human cancer. The first one is the RB pathway with inactivation of the RB protein (retinoblastoma protein), either by alteration of the retinoblastoma gene itself, or by genetic alterations of the genes implicated in RB phosphorylation. The second one is the inactivation of the p53 protein. Both of these abnormalities are described in human lung carcinoma but differ according to histologic subtype.