c-Rel and the other NF-κB subunits can contribute towards tumorigenesis by inducing the expression of antiapoptotic genes34 and, consistent with this and the results in Figure 2d, we found that when cultured ex vivo, tumour cell isolates from Eμ-Myc/c-rel–/– mice showed increased sensitivity to the R-CHOP therapy components doxorubicin and vincristine (Figure 2e). This evidence concerns the gene REL and neoplasm.