Conclusion and Future Perspectives
Interest in understanding cellular plasticity in different forms of cancer as well as its crucial role in therapy resistance has led to uncovering the mechanism and targeting different major cell-intrinsic as well as extrinsic drivers of the process. The main focus of the review is the cell intrinsic pathways that modulate the phenomenon of cell plasticity. Cell intrinsic mechanisms include major signaling pathways which are mostly dysregulated in cancer and tend to inculcate plasticity in the breast cancer cells10,85. These dysregulated pathways also are major driving factors for resistance towards treatment and targeting the same has been the major focus of the researchers for a long time. This had led to various targeted therapy and the development of several inhibitors of those dysregulated biomarkers.
(Figure 2): Targeting molecular pathways contributing to cancer cell plasticity
Another important player that has a major role in cellular plasticity induction and therapy resistance is the tumor microenvironment (TME)86. The complex networking of different cells and immune system players along with the cancer cells forms an intricate connection and provides an avenue for inducting cellular plasticity as well as therapy resistance due to the same. Targeting the microenvironment will also lead to potential therapeutic avenues for curbing this deadly phenomenon of plasticity and therapy resistance. The exact mechanisms both intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms leading to cellular plasticity and therapy resistance in cancer are yet to be untangled. This will profit the researchers who are continuously looking for designing therapeutic approaches that aim at perturbing the interplay of cellular factors resulting in plasticity and restricting it alongside curbing tumor heterogeneity87 caused by the same which accounts for therapy resistance.