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Resistance is not the end: lessons from pest management
Christopher J Whelan1, Jessica J Cunningham2,3
1Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, and Cancer Physiology, Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA.
Summary
Cancer cells develop resistance to treatments, similar to agricultural pests. Applying integrated pest management (IPM) principles could slow cancer resistance, reduce drug use, and improve patient survival.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Agricultural Science
Background:
- The "war on cancer" has achieved success in early-stage disease but metastatic cancer remains fatal.
- Cancer cells' evolution of resistance to therapies is a primary cause of treatment failure in late-stage disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the parallels between cancer cell resistance mechanisms and pesticide resistance in agricultural pests.
- To propose the adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for managing metastatic cancer.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of resistance evolution in cancer cells and agricultural pests.
- Review of integrated pest management (IPM) principles and their application in agriculture.
Main Results:
- Cancer resistance mechanisms share similarities with those observed in agricultural pests.
- Integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, focused on management rather than eradication, offer a potential framework for cancer treatment.
Conclusions:
- Adopting IPM-inspired approaches for metastatic cancer could slow treatment resistance, decrease drug usage, and enhance patient survival and quality of life.
- Shifting the goal to long-term cancer management requires monitoring tumor evolution and judicious therapy application.
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