摘要：

Resistance to apoptosis is commonly accepted as the principal hallmark of a cancer cell, while caspases are recognized as the key molecular players of the apoptosis regulatory network. Since the level of caspase activity is thought to be directly coupled with aggres‐ sive features of cancer cells (such as ability to withstand immune reactions, invasiveness, drug resistance, etc.), these proteases could serve as objective diagnostic markers espe‐ cially for those types of cancer where early differential diagnosis is needed. Cervical can‐ cer develops through morphologically well-described stages—from intraepithelial lesions of 1/2/3 grade including carcinoma in situ to microinvasive and invasive cancer with pre‐ cancerous lesions known to be potentially reversible. The percentage of cervical neo‐ plasms diagnosed at early stages is relatively high, providing a basis for the use of cervical cancer as an in vivo model to investigate the mechanisms of apoptosis modula‐ tion in malignant cells. The existing diagnostic criteria, despite their usefulness, have sub‐ stantial limitations with respect to cervical cancer and preneoplastic lesions, so caspases may be helpful in improving them, but there is insufficient data regarding the involve‐ ment of these enzymes in cervical cancer development. In this chapter, we report on spe‐ cific patterns of activity of caspases revealed in tissue biopsies and blood lymphocytes in association with different stages of cervical cancer development. The data indicate that caspases are pivotal components of the in vivo molecular "portrait" of cervical cancer and have the potential of being used as biomarkers.

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