Biological Mechanisms And The Advancing Approaches To Overcoming Cancer Drug Resistance

Biological Mechanisms and the Advancing Approaches to Overcoming Cancer Drug Resistance, Volume 12, discusses new approaches that are being undertaken to counteract tumor plasticity, understand and tackle the interactions with the microenvironment, and disrupt the rewiring of malignant cells or bypass biological mechanism of resistance by using targeted radionuclide therapies. This book provides a unique opportunity to the reader to understand the fundamental causes of drug resistance and how different approaches are applied. It is a one-stop-shop to understand why it is so difficult to treat cancer, and why only a very few patients respond to therapy and a significant portion develop resistance. Despite a rapid development of more effective anti-cancer drugs and combination therapies, cancer remains the leading cause of lethality in the developed world. The main reason for this is the ability of heterogeneous subpopulations of tumor cells interacting with constantly evolving tumor microenvironment to resist elimination and eventually, trigger cancer relapse. In this book, experts review current concepts explaining molecular and biological mechanisms of cancer drug resistance and discussing advancing approaches for overcoming these therapeutic challenges. Provides the most updated knowledge on the mechanisms of cancer drug resistance and the emerging therapeutic approaches reviewed by experts in the field Brings detailed analyses of most important recently reported developments related to drug resistance and their relevance to overcoming it in cancer patients Discusses in-depth molecular mechanisms and novel concepts of cancer resistance to conventional and advanced therapies

Leading experts summarize and synthesize the latest discoveries concerning the changes that occur in tumor cells as they develop resistance to anticancer drugs, and suggest new approaches to preventing and overcoming it. The authors review physiological resistance based upon tumor architecture, cellular resistance based on drug transport, epigenetic changes that neutralize or bypass drug cytotoxicity, and genetic changes that alter drug target molecules by decreasing or eliminating drug binding and efficacy. Highlights include new insights into resistance to antiangiogenic therapies, oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in therapeutic resistance, cancer stem cells, and the development of more effective therapies. There are also new findings on tumor immune escape mechanisms, gene amplification in drug resistance, the molecular determinants of multidrug resistance, and resistance to taxanes and Herceptin.

​​​​​This volume gives the latest developments in on the mechanisms of cancer cell resistance to apoptotic stimuli, which eventually result in cancer progression and metastasis. One of the main challenges in cancer research is to develop new therapies to combat resistant tumors. The development of new effective therapies will be dependent on delineating the biochemical, molecular, and genetic mechanisms that regulate tumor cell resistance to cytotoxic drug-induced apoptosis. These mechanisms should reveal gene products that directly regulate resistance in order to develop new drugs that target these resistance factors and such new drugs may either be selective or common to various cancers. If successful, new drugs may not be toxic and may be used effectively in combination with subtoxic conventional drugs to achieve synergy and to reverse tumor cell resistance. The research developments presented in this book can be translated to produce better clinical responses to resistant tumors.

This book addresses the pressing problem of drug resistance in the treatment of breast cancer. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying drug resistance and presents the latest advances in therapeutic approaches to overcome this enormous challenge. The book begins with an introduction to the biology of breast cancer, treatment modalities and the mechanisms of drug resistance. This includes the principles of drug resistance in targeted, immune-, endocrine and chemotherapy. In the following sections, the authors present innovative strategies to overcome drug resistance and new research directions, among others the role of the microbiome in drug resistance, molecular profiling of patients for personalized medical care, and new drug delivery systems. Finally, the book concludes with a discussion of the differences in the prevalence and treatment success of breast cancer between high- and low-income countries. This book is an informative resource for students, researchers, and clinicians in the field of breast cancer research and oncology in general.

Drug resistance in cancer, whereby a portion of cancer cells evades chemotherapy, poses a profound and continuing challenge for the effective treatment of cancer. The principles underlying the biological mechanisms behind this phenomenon are clearly explained in this volume. A deeper understanding of drug resistance requires a quantitative appreciation of the dynamic forces that shape tumor growth, including spontaneous mutation and selection processes. The authors seek to explain and to simplify these complex mechanisms, and to place them in a clinical context. Clearly explained mathematical models are used to illustrate the biological principles and provide an insight into tumor development and the effectiveness and limitations of drug treatment. The volume is suitable for those with a nonmathematical background and aims to enhance the effectiveness of cancer therapy. This is the first book to provide such an integrated account, in a form accessible to both doctor and scientist.

Chemotherapy is one of the major treatment options for cancer patients; however, the efficacy of chemotherapeutic management of cancer is severely limited by multidrug resistance, in that cancer cells become simultaneously resistant to many structurally and mechanistically unrelated drugs. In the past three decades, a number of mechanisms by which cancer cells acquire multidrug resistance have been discovered. In addition, the development of agents or strategies to overcome resistance has been the subject of intense study. This book contains comprehensive and up-to-date reviews of multidrug resistance mechanisms, from over-expression of ATP-binding cassette drug transporters such as P-glycoprotein, multidrug resistance-associated proteins, and breast cancer resistance p- tein to the drug ratio-dependent antagonism and the paradigm of cancer stem cells. The book also includes strategies to overcome multidrug resistance, from the development of compounds that inhibit drug transporter function to the modulation of transporter expression. In addition, this book contains techniques for the detection and imaging of drug transporters, methods for the investigation of drug resistance in animal models, and strategies to evaluate the efficacy of resistance reversal agents. The book intends to provide a state-of-the-art collection of reviews and methods for both basic and clinician investigators who are interested in cancer multidrug resistance mechanisms and reversal strategies. Tianjin, China Jun Zhou v Contents Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Contributors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix 1 Multidrug Resistance in Cancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Bruce C. Baguley 2 Multidrug Resistance in Oncology and Beyond: From Imaging of Drug Efflux Pumps to Cellular Drug Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Overcoming Drug Resistance in Gynecologic Cancers provides up-to-date information related to important gynecologic cancers and focuses on mechanisms of drug resistance, genetics, signaling, immunology, health disparities, nanotechnology, economic considerations and financial impacts. The book covers not only drug resistance but also important means to reverse resistance both in the laboratory and clinic. The book discusses topics such as lifestyle, nutrition and risk of gynecologic cancers, the financial impact of drug resistance, chemosensitizing agents and targeted therapies in cervical, endometrial and ovarian cancer, immunotherapy to overcome drug resistance, and genetic polymorphisms in gynecologic cancers. Additionally, it discusses ethnic and racial health disparity perspectives and future developments in chemosensitizing activities to reverse drug resistance in gynecologic cancers. It is a valuable resource for cancer researchers, oncologists, clinicians and other biomedical field members who are interested in new approaches to improve chemotherapy outcome in patients with gynecologic cancers. Provides a comprehensive resource with all the details needed for readers to understand and follow information Encompasses schematics, diagrams and flow charts in all chapters to help readers easily follow critical information Presents tables and figures especially developed to summarize the information with appropriate statistical rigor and to show details of clinical specimens such as pathological, radiological characteristics, and/or laboratory biomarkers