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Roles of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in cancer drug resistance

Yulong Shang, Xiqiang Cai, Daiming Fan1

  • 1Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, West Changle Road, Xi'an 710032, China. daimingfan@fmmu.edu.cn.

Current Cancer Drug Targets
|October 31, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Drug resistance in cancer is a major hurdle. This review explores how epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) drives cancer drug resistance and discusses strategies to overcome it.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Drug resistance is a significant challenge in cancer therapy, leading to poor patient outcomes.
  • Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is increasingly recognized as a key contributor to both intrinsic and acquired drug resistance.
  • The precise mechanisms linking EMT to drug resistance across various cancer types are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advancements in understanding cancer drug resistance.
  • To elucidate the association between epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and drug resistance.
  • To explore potential therapeutic strategies targeting EMT to reverse drug resistance.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent studies on cancer drug resistance and EMT.
  • Analysis of molecular mechanisms and pathways involved in EMT-mediated drug resistance.
  • Synthesis of current knowledge on therapeutic interventions targeting EMT.

Main Results:

  • EMT plays a critical role in regulating drug resistance in diverse cancer types.
  • Specific molecular mechanisms and pathways underlying EMT's influence on drug resistance have been identified.
  • Targeting EMT presents a promising avenue for overcoming cancer drug resistance.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding the EMT-drug resistance link is crucial for improving cancer treatment efficacy.
  • Targeting EMT-associated pathways holds potential for novel therapeutic strategies.
  • Further research into EMT modulation is warranted to combat refractory cancers.

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