Dulanermin in cancer therapy: still much to do.

Cancer therapy is the challenging goal of the new millennium. Since traditional chemotherapy induces cell death through the activation of p53-mediated intrinsic apoptotic pathway, most tumours bearing p53 mutations result totally or partially resistant to therapy. This condition could be overcome through the activation of the extrinsic apoptotic pathway (1). Apo2L/TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) is the best characterized molecule belonging to this pathway (2).