Protein tyrosine kinases and cancer

The ABL, PDGFR, RET, and ALK tyrosine kinases have been clearly implicated in the etiology of human malignancies. However, in other tumors, distinguishing between tyrosine kinases as causative agents, as opposed to markers of disease progression or reflections of aberrant tumor cells, has proven difficult. In the absence of a genetic mutation in a tyrosine kinase, it has been difficult to confirm a role for various tyrosine kinases in most malignant human diseases. Given the central role of tyrosine kinases in the control of cellular growth and differentiation, however, it is likely that tyrosine kinases will be shown to participate in crucial aspects of tumorigenesis, some of which may provide fruitful avenues for therapeutic intervention.