AKT1 and cancer: The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway is one of the most frequently dysregulated signaling pathways in human cancer.1 PI3Ks are lipid kinases that phosphorylate the 3’-hydroxyl group of the inositol ring of phosphatidylinositol and regulate cell growth, proliferation, survival, motility, and metabolism.2 3 Based on substrate preference and sequence homology, PI3Ks can be divided into three classes.