title: Complex adaptive therapeutic strategy (CATS) for cancer.
abstract: Tumors begin with a single cell, but as each tumor grows and evolves, it becomes a wide collection of clones that display remarkable heterogeneity in phenotypic features, which has posed a big challenge to current targeted anticancer therapy. Intra- and inter-tumoral heterogeneity is attributable in part to genetic mutations but also to adaptation and evolution of tumors to heterogeneity in tumor microenvironments. If tumors are viewed not only as a disease but also as a complex adaptive system (CAS), tumors should be treated as such and a more systemic approach is needed. Some of many tumors therapeutic strategies are discussed here from a view of a tumor as CAS, which can be collectively called a complex adaptive therapeutic strategy (CATS). The central theme of CATS is based on three intermediate concepts: i) disruption of artifacts, ii) disruption of connections, and iii) reprogramming of cancer-immune dynamics. Each strategy presented here is a piece of the puzzle for CATS. Although each piece by itself may be neither novel nor profound, an assembled puzzle could be a novel and innovative cancer therapeutic strategy.
authors.affiliation: Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 136-791, Republic of Korea; Department of Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Gyeonggido 426-791, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yong Woo
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 136-791, Republic of Korea; Department of Otolaryngology, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 138-736, Republic of Korea; College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, Seoul 138-736, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Yoon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 136-791, Republic of Korea; KU-KIST School, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ick Chan
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 136-791, Republic of Korea; Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Cell and Matrix Research Institute, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 700-422, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: iskim@knu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: In-San
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: Cancer immunotherapy; Complex adaptive system (CAS); Induced phenotype; Nanoparticle; Tumor heterogeneity; Tumor network