Definition
A protein that regulates programmed cell death and which is mutated in more than half of all cancers.
Use in clinical context
Programmed cell death is an important part of maintaining healthy tissue because cells that are malfunctioning need to be removed from the cell population. One of the key features of cancer cells is uncontrolled cell growth and division, and in normal circumstances these cells would undergo programmed cell death. However, in more than half of cancers p53 is mutated and therefore these cells are not removed and continue growing, dividing and contributing to the progression of the disease.
