CASP8 and cancer: While CASP8 loss of function would be predicted to impair the ability of cancer cells to initiate apoptosis, silencing of CASP8 in breast cancer cell lines has also been shown to decrease cancer cell growth by delaying G0/G1- to S-phase transition and increasing the expression of CDK inhibitors p21 and p27 (De Blasio et al., 2016).