Researchers say a new approach to cancer treatment could improve outcomes by changing therapies before a tumor begins to regrow, according to ScienceDaily.
The study focuses on one of the biggest challenges in cancer care: drug resistance. Dr. Robert Noble of City St George's, University of London, said tumors can shrink at first but later return because a small number of cells develop mutations that help them survive treatment.
Under the usual approach, doctors often keep using a therapy until tests show the cancer has started growing again. The researchers argue that waiting gives resistant cells more time to evolve, which may make later treatments less effective as well.
Instead, the team suggests switching to another therapy while the tumor is still responding. Their mathematical models indicate that this kind of early switch could outperform the current standard of care, though the findings still need laboratory and clinical testing.
According to the study, three small clinical trials are already underway in soft-tissue cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer, with more trials in development. The researchers also say that in many cases, using three or more therapies may be more effective than only two.
