Ferritin in Malignant Cells

The study of ferritin in malignant cells was stimulated by early indications of the existence of tumor-specific ferritins and by suggestions that this protein could be considered a tumor marker. Subsequent work greatly increased knowledge of ferritin structure and biology and showed that ferritin expression is altered in malignant cells, but did not confirm the early expectations. Here we review data from the literature and present some new results about ferritin and malignancy, with particular attention to the differences in structure, expression, and functionality of ferritin in normal and malignant cells.