Multidrug Resistance in Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications

Dear Colleagues,

Drug resistance still represents the main reason for therapy failure in cancer patients. Indeed, despite being initially susceptible to standard strategies, tumor cells frequently become irresponsive to current treatments via different mechanisms that can impair drug efficacy, including reduced drug adsorption, increased DNA repair and cell death suppression, gene mutation and amplification, and epigenetic changes. Other key processes frequently involved in reduction in drug sensitivity are based on cancer stem cell selection and survival, as well as on the complex interaction network occurring in the tumor microenvironment. More recently, the crucial role of the gut microbiome in cancer recurrence has also been highlighted.

Based on these premises, several efforts have been directed toward the identification of new biomarkers able to predict therapeutic outcomes: circulating cancer cells, as well as circulating tumor DNA, cancer cell secretome, and tumor-derived extracellular vesicles and miRNAs can be easily isolated from patient body fluids. On the other hand, novel therapeutic approaches, involving both synthetic and natural compounds, are being developed to overcome drug resistance.

The aim of this Special Issue is to publish original articles and reviews in the field of basic and translational cancer research that specifically addresses the above topics, leading to the discovery of new molecular pathways and biomarkers associated with chemoresistance, as well as to the definition of novel drug combinations that could prevent tumor relapse.

Dr. Fabrizio Fontana
Guest Editor

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• cancer drug resistance
• cancer stem cells
• tumor microenvironment
• gut microbiome
• cancer secretome
• extracellular vesicles
• -omics
• biomarkers
• combination therapies

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