TNF and cancer: As TAK1 relays the proinflammatory and innate immune responses to stimulatory inputs such as LPS, IL-1, TNF-α, as well as the adaptive immune response to T-cell receptor (TCR) and B-cell receptor (BCR) antigens, to switch on the NF-κB or AP-1 transcription factors, modulation of its activity may have therapeutic potential in cancer and inflammatory diseases (30, 48).