As for these regulators in cancer cells, the catastrophe factors of MTs such as oncoprotein (Op)18/stathmin were reported to be overexpressed in a number of human malignancies, and to be associated with cancer progression and prognosis (Roos et al, 1993; Bieche et al, 1998a, 1998b; Brattsand, 2000; Chen et al, 2003; Moore and Wordeman, 2004; Kouzu et al, 2006). This evidence concerns the gene STMN1 and cancer.