Review Article

Updates on altered signaling pathways in tumor drug resistance

School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, No.1088 Xueyuan Blvd, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, PR China

^* Corresponding authors: zhangjian@sustech.edu.cn (Jian Zhang); luy3@sustech.edu.cn (Yi Lu)

Received: 15 March 2024
Accepted: 23 May 2024

Abstract

Curing cancer has always presented a formidable clinical challenge. Among the various treatment strategies for combating tumors, the combination of targeted therapy and immunotherapy has recently assumed significant importance. Regrettably, while targeted drugs demonstrate efficiency in the early stages of cancer treatment, patients inevitably develop drug resistance as treatment progresses, ultimately resulting in treatment failure and death. Currently, effective countermeasures against drug-resistant tumor cells remain limited, and research into the mechanisms of drug resistance continues to garner profound interest. The current understanding of drug resistance primarily focuses on two aspects: intrinsic or primary drug resistance, and acquired or secondary drug resistance. Further explanations delve into molecular mechanisms, including acquired gene mutations, epigenetic modifications, the plasticity of cancer stem cells, and the mediation of exosomes. With the advancement of single-cell analysis, our understanding of these potential mechanisms has become more comprehensive. In this review, we initially explore classical signaling pathways related to tumorigenesis and cancer cell progression. Additionally, we summarize recent findings regarding gene mutations and modifications related to drug resistance in cancer. Finally, we discuss the plasticity of cancer stem cells and the latest research on exosome-mediated tumor drug resistance.