Inflammation meets cancer, with NF-κB as the matchmaker

Inflammation is a fundamental protective response that sometimes goes awry and becomes a major cofactor in the pathogenesis of many chronic human diseases, including cancer. Here we review the evolutionary relationship and opposing functions of the transcription factor NF-kappa B in inflammation and cancer. Although it seems to fulfill a distinctly tumor-promoting role in many types of cancer, NF-kappa B has a confounding role in certain tumors. Understanding the activity and function of NF-kappa B in the context of tumorigenesis is critical for its successful taming, an important challenge for modern cancer biology.