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Group Behavior and Emergence of Cancer Drug Resistance

Supriyo Bhattacharya1, Atish Mohanty2, Srisairam Achuthan3

  • 1Translational Bioinformatics, Center for Informatics, Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA.

Trends in Cancer
|February 24, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Cancer drug resistance is not just genetic. Nongenetic mechanisms and tumor microenvironment interactions drive resistance, highlighting the need for new therapeutic strategies to overcome this challenge.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Acquired drug resistance is a significant obstacle in cancer treatment.
  • While genetic mutations are traditionally implicated, nongenetic mechanisms are increasingly recognized as crucial drivers of resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the role of nongenetic mechanisms in the emergence of cancer drug resistance.
  • To understand how tumor heterogeneity and microenvironment influence resistance development.

Main Methods:

  • Review of emerging evidence on nongenetic resistance mechanisms.
  • Analysis of the interplay between clonal groups, tumor microenvironment, and cellular traits.

Main Results:

  • Nongenetic factors, including phenotypic plasticity and intercellular communication, contribute to cancer drug resistance.
  • Tumor heterogeneity and microenvironment dynamics facilitate the survival of drug-tolerant cells and the emergence of resistant clones.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding group behavior and nongenetic mechanisms is vital for developing effective cancer therapies.
  • Targeting these nongenetic pathways could minimize or delay the onset of drug resistance, improving patient outcomes.
Keywords:
drug resistanceevolutionary game theorygroup behaviorlung cancernongenetic mechanismphenotypic switching

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