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

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