Stem cells that are resistant to chemotherapy are open
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Scientists from the School of Medicine of Mount Sinai have discovered a subpopulation of cells that are resistant to chemotherapy and lead to the growth of tumors. This breakthrough may contribute to the development of new ways of early detection of cancer, as well as innovative methods of treatment.
Resistance to chemotherapy is a common phenomenon that occurs in cancer patients during certain treatment processes and leads to disastrous consequences. Tumors that initially respond to chemotherapy, subsequently become resistant to it, leading to a tumor progression and death of the patient.
The latest study shows that the ability to reproduce, despite the effects of chemotherapy, has "stem" cancer cells discovered by scientists that have not been differentiated into more specific types of cells. At the same time, differentiated cancer cells under the influence of chemotherapy died.
A group of researchers led by Carlos Cordon Cardo and Josep Domingo Domenech from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine created prostate cancer cell models that are immune to drugs by exposing cancer cells to gradually increasing doses of chemotherapy drugs, particularly docetaxel. They found cells that showed signs of development and at the same time showed the functions of stem cancer cells, in particular, promoted the growth of tumor cells.
Then, scientists studied human prostate cancer samples and found that in patients with more aggressive or metastatic tumors, these cancerous "stem cells" were larger.
"For the first time, the so-called stem cancer cells have been identified as the cause of resistance to treatment and tumor development. This means that these cells are the Achilles heel of cancer, "said Dr. Cordon Cardo. "These discoveries are the culmination of studies that have lasted more than six years and have led to the definition of oncological characteristics that are necessary to understand how the disease acts and progresses."
The study also identifies a new strategy for treating prostate cancer - a combination of standard chemotherapy and two pharmacological drugs that inhibit the ability of stem cells to develop and differentiate. Some of these drugs are already undergoing clinical trials.
"Attacking these new cancerous" stem cells ", we do not allow the tumor to grow, but not treat the symptoms of the disease," explains Dr. Domingo Domenech. "The discovery of this cell population can lead to the development of new ways of early cancer diagnosis and innovative therapeutic strategies."
The study was conducted on prostate cancer cells, but new research shows that a new type of cell is present in other cancers, such as breast cancer, colon cancer, bladder cancer and lung cancer.
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