New Mechanisms and Intervention Strategies to Overcome Drug Resistance in Cancer

WANG Fang¹, FU Kai¹, PAN Can¹, ZHU Shuangli¹, LI Sijia¹, LAN Yuelu¹, YANG Qihong^1,2, FU Liwu¹*

（¹State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China; ²People’s Hospital of Longhua, Shenzhen 518109, China)

Abstract:

Drug resistance is the leading cause of treatment failure in cancer. The mechanisms leading to both primary and acquired resistance are complex and dynamic, including tumor burden, tumor heterogeneity, physical barriers, immune system and tumor microenvironment, etc. These mechanisms can act alone or in combination, contributing to cancer drug resistance through different signaling pathways. The key challenges in overcoming drug resistance are investigating the main mechanisms and developing effective intervention strategies. In this paper, the latest research progress on the mechanisms of cancer drug resistance and therapeutic strategies are systematically reviewed, and potential future directions are also suggested.

CSTR: 32200.14.cjcb.2025.03.0027