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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cancer Drug Sensitization In Vitro and In Vivo
09:19

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cancer Drug Sensitization In Vitro and In Vivo

Published on: February 6, 2015

Cellular survival pathways and resistance to cancer therapy

P A Dennis1, M B Kastan

  • 1Division of Experimental Therapeutics and Pharmacology, Johns Hopkins Oncology Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Drug Resistance Updates : Reviews and Commentaries in Antimicrobial and Anticancer Chemotherapy
|November 10, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Cancer therapies like chemotherapy and irradiation trigger apoptosis, or programmed cell death. However, cancer cells can resist these treatments by utilizing extracellular survival signals, highlighting new therapeutic targets.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Chemotherapy and irradiation induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) in target cells.
  • Dysregulated apoptosis is crucial in tumor formation and leads to therapeutic resistance.
  • Cell survival depends on internal apoptotic machinery and the extracellular environment, including growth factors and receptors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of extracellular survival signals in regulating apoptosis during cancer therapy.
  • To identify molecular targets that can enhance the effectiveness of cytotoxic cancer therapies.

Main Methods:

  • The study reviews the mechanisms by which growth factors (GFs), GF receptors (GFRs), and their signaling pathways promote cell survival.
  • Analysis of how these extracellular signals interact with internal apoptotic machinery.

Main Results:

  • Extracellular survival signals, mediated by GFs and GFRs, play a significant role in protecting cells from cytotoxic insults.
  • These survival signals can mitigate or block the efficacy of cancer therapies.
  • Convergence of survival signals at key molecular points offers potential therapeutic targets.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding extracellular survival mechanisms is critical for overcoming therapeutic resistance in cancer.
  • Targeting the convergence points of these survival pathways could enhance the effectiveness of current cancer treatments.

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