Geneva researchers discover warning signs of chemotherapy resistance
A Geneva research team has discovered an early warning sign of chemotherapy resistance in colorectal cancer. The researchers identified specific changes in certain lipids in cancer cells that are resistant to chemotherapy.
Understanding these changes could also help to develop new treatment strategies to overcome this resistance, the University of Geneva announced on Wednesday.
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According to the university, colorectal cancer affects almost two million people worldwide every year. Around 700,000 die from this type of cancer every year. The main treatment for colorectal cancer usually consists of a combination of chemotherapy drugs called Folfoxiri. However, tumor cells develop resistance to this therapy over time.
A major challenge for cancer research
Preventing this process is one of the greatest challenges in cancer research, according to the university.
The researchers discovered the lipid signatures associated with chemotherapy resistance in cancer cells in the laboratory. They treated cancer cells with folfoxiri chemotherapy in a laboratory for 60 weeks. According to the university, this corresponds to the time required for the cancer cells to develop resistance to the treatment, as observed in clinical situations.
These cancer cells were then compared with untreated cancer cells. The results were published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. However, the researchers emphasised that the results are not yet applicable in clinical practice. More research is needed first.
Adapted from German by DeepL/ac
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