The biggest obstacle to curing cancer is the fact that cancers often harbor resistant cells that are unaffected by cancer drugs. A team that includes several ACE researchers tested a new strategy, called adaptive therapy, for maintaining control over resistant cells in mice that had human breast cancer, and their results are published in the journal MDPI. Adaptive therapy works by maintaining a population of cancer cells that are sensitive to cancer drugs, and these sensitive cells then hold cancer resistant cells in check. When the sensitive cells start to proliferate, they can be knocked back by low amounts of drugs given occasionally. Adaptive therapy with the use of low doses of two drugs used alternatively when necessary, extended the survival time of the mice. The hope is that a similar therapy regime will slow down disease progression in cancer patients where cure isn’t possible, and help them live longer.
