[Mechanisms of malignant transformation].

A meeting sponsored by the Société Française du Cancer has been held on October 3rd 1986 in Villejuif. Some of the most recent developments in the study of malignant transformation were presented. The molecular cloning of the gene altered in the human retinoblastoma, and the role of the myc gene in the shut-off of the immune response illustrated the cellular oncogenes field. The implication of viruses like the HTLV1, the papillomaviruses or the hepatitis B virus in human cancer was largely documented. The hamster papovavirus and some avian leukemogenic viruses were presented as models of animal oncogenic viruses. Finally the biochemical properties of growth factors like the interleukin II or the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) were described.