title: How Can We Treat Cancer Disease Not Cancer Cells?
abstract: Since molecular biology studies began, researches in biological science have centered on proteins and genes at molecular level of a single cell. Cancer research has also focused on various functions of proteins and genes that distinguish cancer cells from normal cells. Accordingly, most contemporary anticancer drugs have been developed to target abnormal characteristics of cancer cells. Despite the great advances in the development of anticancer drugs, vast majority of patients with advanced cancer have shown grim prognosis and high rate of relapse. To resolve this problem, we must reevaluate our focuses in current cancer research. Cancer should be considered as a systemic disease because cancer cells undergo a complex interaction with various surrounding cells in cancer tissue and spread to whole body through metastasis under the control of the systemic modulation. Human body relies on the cooperative interaction between various tissues and organs, and each organ performs its specialized function through tissue-specific cell networks. Therefore, investigation of the tumor-specific cell networks can provide novel strategy to overcome the limitation of current cancer research. This review presents the limitations of the current cancer research, emphasizing the necessity of studying tissue-specific cell network which could be a new perspective on treating cancer disease, not cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: SNU-Harvard NeuroVascular Protection Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyu-Won
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biochemisty, Department of Life Science, Research Institute for Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Su-Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: The Research Center for Cell Fate Control, College of Pharmacy, Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Woo-Young
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: SNU-Harvard NeuroVascular Protection Research Center, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Hae
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Drug Resistance, College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ho-Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000639:trends*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009928:Organ Specificity; D012106:Research; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: Cancer cells; Cancer disease; Metastasis; Systemic disease; Tissue-specific cell network