Figure 2. Examples of Non-oncogene Addictions in Cancer Cells.

The tumorigenic state results in a variety of alterations (shown on top), which are related to the hallmarks described in Figure 1. These alterations give rise to a number of potentially deleterious circumstances or vulnerabilities (detailed in the bottom half) that could be lethal to the tumor cells if left unchecked. The existence of stress support pathways (shown in red) help suppress this lethality. Many of these pathways are examples of non-oncogene addiction (NOA), and therapeutics that interfere with their functions could display synthetic lethality with the tumor genotype/phenotype.