Engaging plasticity: Differentiation therapy in solid tumors.

Front Pharmacol

Cancer Research Center, Oncology Institute, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel.

Published: August 2022

Cancer is a systemic heterogeneous disease that can undergo several rounds of latency and activation. Tumor progression evolves by increasing diversity, adaptation to signals from the microenvironment and escape mechanisms from therapy. These dynamic processes indicate necessity for cell plasticity. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a major role in facilitating cell plasticity in solid tumors by inducing dedifferentiation and cell type transitions. These two practices, plasticity and dedifferentiation enhance tumor heterogeneity creating a key challenge in cancer treatment. In this review we will explore cancer cell plasticity and elaborate treatment modalities that aspire to overcome such dynamic processes in solid tumors. We will further discuss the therapeutic potential of utilizing enhanced cell plasticity for differentiation therapy.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9410762PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.944773DOI Listing

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