The main cause of carcinogenesis has long been considered as a default in the proliferation machinery providing an advantage to pre-tumoral cells compared to surrounding normal cells. More recent evidence highlight that defaults in cell death are also the major causes of carcinogenesis.

Accordingly, understanding the cell death signaling pathways in general (apoptosis/necrosis/ autophagy/ etc…) takes a tremendous place in cell biology and in oncology.

Indeed, cell death is crucial to eliminate damaged, supernumerary, or transformed cells via the induction of the extrinsic (death receptors), the intrinsic (mitochondria-dependent) or the other death pathways (necrosis, autophagy…). Alterations in these signaling pathways appear as key events promoting tumor immune escape and chemoresistance.

This 1st international Cell Death In Cancer (CDIC) Congress will bring together clinicians and scientists working on cell death and cancer in the famous city of Saint Malo in Brittany will allow to highlight the latest advances in the understanding of mechanisms controlling cell death and will put emphasis on potential new targets for innovative therapeutic strategies.