BCL2 and cancer: Altered expression and activity of BCL-2 family members are frequently found in cancer cells and contribute to an increased apoptotic threshold.5 Anti-apoptotic proteins of this family allow cancer cells to survive many stressful environments and cell death signals, such as those induced by oncogenic signals.6 Thus, BCL-2-like proteins represent a molecular vulnerability because inhibition of their survival activity may be sufficient to selectively eliminate cancer cells.