This puts both doctors and cancer victims alike in a tough situation. Cancer cells are becoming more and more resistant to our primary treatment. Our efforts to kill cancer cells are only killing off the weakest cells. Tumor masses typically consist of mixed proportions of malignant cells, some of which are drug-sensitive while others are drug-resistant. Treatment kills only the drug-sensitive cells, but leaves behind a higher percentage of drug-resistant cells. As the tumor begins to grow again, chemotherapy may completely fail because the remaining cells are resistant to the drug (Nature America). After selection for resistance to a specific drug, cells might also show cross-resistance to other mechanistically unrelated drugs, a phenomenon …show more content…
Resistance now exists against every effective anticancer drug by numerous mechanisms: decreased drug uptake, evasion of induced apoptosis, activation of detoxifying systems, and activation of DNA repair mechanisms (NIBIB). Anticancer drugs, which were initially the “knight in shining armor” on the battlefront, are becoming ineffective to the point of extinction. Before we discontinue use altogether, we need other viable options. Thankfully, scientists are working around the clock for new possibilities. Some leads hope to keep chemotherapy an option by revamping the formula of the drug: incorporating inhibitors for MDR pumps, finding ways to methylate the gene that codes for resistance genes, or pairing chemotherapy with other therapies (Nature America). Combination therapy, the pairing of chemotherapy with radiation therapy or surgery, has had significantly better outcomes than single drug therapy. Sometimes, one therapy can make a tumor more vulnerable to a second. For example, certain drugs can increase tumors’ susceptibility to radiation. In other instances, drugs play off each other, enhancing overall potency, so their combined effectiveness is higher than their individual impact (Dana-Farber). However, new out-of-the-box ideas are in the works as