TNF and cancer: TNF-α, a cytokine originally identified as mediating endotoxin-induced tumor necrosis (Carswell et al., 1975), has been shown to be involved in the development of a number of cancers through the promotion of vessel growth and tumor destruction by direct cytotoxicity angiogenesis (Leibovich et al., 1987) as well as the metastatic potential of circulating tumor cells (Orosz et al., 1993).