Scientists try to eliminate cancer with combined targeted therapy

Scientists try to eliminate cancer with combined targeted therapy

As shown in the micrograph, tumor cells can develop resistance to the chemotherapy drug oxaliplatin.

We always tell patients that cancer will evolve in the body in the natural way of Darwin's natural selection, but we don't have enough evidence to confirm this.

About 6 years ago, Alberto Bardelli fell into the bottom of the research. Bardelli, a cancer biologist at the University of Turin in Italy, has been working on cancer-targeted therapies – drugs that target mutations that cause tumor growth. The effect of this method seems to be very good, and some patients are beginning to recover. But what was subsequently unavoidable was that the patient's tumor began to develop resistance to the drug. As time progresses, Bardelli will see cancer recurring. "I came across a wall," he said. Bardelli realized that the problem was not the specific mutation, but the evolution itself. "Unfortunately, we are faced with one of the most powerful forces on the planet," he said.

Researchers have always believed that tumors will evolve. As they develop, mutations occur and a large number of cells with genetic differences appear. These cells develop resistance to cancer drugs and survive and continue to spread. It seems that no matter what medicine the doctor uses, the tumor will eventually adapt. It is difficult for researchers to break this process, because over time, cancer will evolve in the human body. "We always tell patients that cancer will evolve in the body in the natural way of Darwin's natural selection, but we don't have enough evidence to prove this," said Charles Swanton, a cancer researcher at the Francis Crick Institute in London, England.

This situation is changing. As advances in sequencing technology and the development of large-scale sample and clinical data collection, scientists are splicing out detailed images of cancer evolution, revealing the root causes of cancer resistance, and in some cases even finding a cure for cancer. As the "weapons" that capture cancer are increasing, biologists are trying to exploit the findings.

tree of Life

There are a lot of amazing mutations in cancer cells. In 2012, Swanton and colleagues performed multiple biopsy on two patients with kidney cancer and found that the same sample did not exist even in the same person. The team not only detected major tumors, but also satellite tumors (ie, metastatic tumors) that spread to other parts of the patient's body. The researchers found more than 100 mutations in various tumor samples per patient, and only 1/3 of the mutations were common across all samples.

The relationship between various cancer cells in a patient can be characterized by evolutionary biologists' classification of species: by mapping phylogenetic tree, branches often trace back to common ancestors. Mutations from the first malignant cell on the trunk of the phylogenetic tree will eventually appear in all tumors, and those that subsequently evolve will only exist on the branches of the tree. To clear these tumors, Swanton said it would attack the mutations that appear in the trunk.

Nowadays, tumor mutagenic treatments for some trunks already exist, and they often produce significant immune response effects from the beginning. But as Bardelli discovered, it subsequently develops resistance. "We usually focus on 'the tumor is getting smaller,' but don't think about what's left behind," Swanton said. "There are often drug-resistant clones that are difficult to cure." But he believes that At the same time targeting multiple trunk mutations, researchers may have the opportunity to eliminate cancer. The chances of a cancer cell being able to evade attacks one after another are small.

One way to achieve this is to use a comprehensive targeted therapy. Researchers have begun clinically testing methods that combine targeted therapies. However, Swanton pointed out that for most mutations, there are no targeted drugs. Mixing existing medications in a way that does not harm the patient is tricky. As a result, Swanton is focusing on immunotherapy, a strategy that helps the immune system identify and destroy cancer cells.

The study is still in infancy, but Swanton is leading a clinical study that helps confirm its findings. The study, called TRACERx (which tracks cancer evolution through treatment), will track the diagnosis and treatment of 850 lung cancer patients, and even die. It will record the genetic changes in tumors over time, including how lung cancer develops and how related treatments affect its development. Once the data is available, Swanton hopes to raise enough funds to test treatment strategies based on tumor cell evolution.

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