Educate, not kill: treating cancer without triggering its defenses
Language English Country England, Great Britain Media print-electronic
Document type Journal Article, Review
PubMed
38658206
DOI
10.1016/j.molmed.2024.04.003
PII: S1471-4914(24)00091-1
Knihovny.cz E-resources
- Keywords
- dormancy, metastasis, migrastatics, resistance, transdifferentiation, tumor reversion,
- MeSH
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Tumor Microenvironment * MeSH
- Neoplasms * therapy MeSH
- Cell Proliferation MeSH
- Antineoplastic Agents therapeutic use pharmacology MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Review MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Antineoplastic Agents MeSH
Traditionally, anticancer therapies focus on restraining uncontrolled proliferation. However, these cytotoxic therapies expose cancer cells to direct killing, instigating the process of natural selection favoring survival of resistant cells that become the foundation for tumor progression and therapy failure. Recognizing this phenomenon has prompted the development of alternative therapeutic strategies. Here we propose strategies targeting cancer hallmarks beyond proliferation, aiming at re-educating cancer cells towards a less malignant phenotype. These strategies include controlling cell dormancy, transdifferentiation therapy, normalizing the cancer microenvironment, and using migrastatic therapy. Adaptive resistance to these educative strategies does not confer a direct proliferative advantage to resistant cells, as non-resistant cells are not subject to eradication, thereby delaying or preventing the development of therapy-resistant tumors.
1st Faculty of Medicine BIOCEV Charles University Vestec Czech Republic
Department of Cell Biology BIOCEV Faculty of Science Charles University Vestec Czech Republic
Department of Cell Biology Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic
System Biology Group Laboratory Sapienza University Rome Italy
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