Membrane proteins: the key players of a cancer cell.

Membrane proteins are involved in the prognosis of the most common forms of cancer. Membrane proteins are the hallmark of a cancer cell. The overexpressed membrane receptors are becoming increasingly important in cancer cell therapy. Current renewing therapy approaches based on receptor overexpression include; antibody therapy, nanocarrier drug delivery, and fluorescent tumor imaging in surgery. Gene profiling reveals cancer specific signatures and may identify membrane proteins that are related to cancer progression and lead to the development of improved therapy strategies in the future.