A new method of altering treatment-resistant cancer cells could make them responsive again, researchers have reported.
It involves changing antenna-like structures on the cells, explain Dr Barbara Tanos of the Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK, and colleagues.
The team’s research found links between changes in cellular antennae, called cilia, in different types of cancer cells, and resistance to different types of drugs. Cells with more and longer cilia tended to be more resistant.
They believe that blocking the proliferation of cilia could be one way to resensitise cancers to treatment. Their work was published yesterday (5 June) in Cell Reports. It was based on lab tests with samples of lung cancer and sarcoma cells.
After cilia growth was inhibited, 35% to 60% of formerly resistant cancer cells responded to treatment with anti-cancer drugs including erlotinib, the researchers report.
The team also found the opposite effect – lengthening cilia with drugs caused cells that previously had responded to treatment to become resistant.
Dr Tanos said: "We found that small, antenna-like cell structures called cilia play a key role as cancer cells develop resistance to treatment.
"We believe that cilia could help cancer cells become resistant to a wide range of drugs – and therefore that targeting cilia could be a universal way of stripping cancers of their defences.
"Next, we aim to explore changes to cilia in more depth, to build a more detailed picture of how they are linked to cancer drug resistance and how they might be targeted to restore sensitivity to treatment."
Tanos, B. et al. Cell Reports 5 June 2018
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