Scientists at Hokkaido University and collaborators have identified how inflammatory changes in tumors caused by chemotherapy trigger blood vessel anomalies and thus drug-resistance, resulting in the poor prognosis of cancer patients.
Through mice experiment, the team also found that the combined usage of an inhibitor and anticancer drug makes chemotherapy more effective.
Chemotherapy is often chosen for treating inoperable cancers, such as locally advanced and metastasis cases. It is, therefore, essential to unravel drug-resistance in this treatment, which has been a major factor in making cancer malignant and causing metastasis.