Targeted anticancer therapies: mouse models help uncover the mechanisms of tumor escape.
In contrast to conventional chemotherapeutic agents, modern anticancer therapies are aimed at attacking specific targets in a tumor. While these therapies show promising clinical effects, their success is limited by the development of resistance to the antitumor agent, a phenomenon that is well known in regular cancer therapies. As illustrated in a novel study by Debies and colleagues in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, mouse models for cancer serve as promising tools for advancing our understanding of the tumor response to targeted therapy. However, the experimental setup and selected model system may evoke unexpected escape mechanisms. Here, we discuss the promises and pitfalls of these approaches.
van Amerongen
Renée
R
Division of Molecular Genetics and Centre of Biomedical Genetics, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Berns
Anton
A
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy; D019139:Tumor Escape; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D051153:Wnt Proteins