DDIT4 and cancer: Despite inhibition of mTOR pathway is a current strategy in the treatment of cancer, paradoxically, several in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that DDIT4 have a protective role against apoptosis, where a knockdown of this gene lead to increased levels of dexamethasone-induced cell death in murine lymphocytes without effect in glucocorticoid-induced cell death in primary thymocytes4, 5.