The tumor microenvironment is a dominant force in multidrug resistance

The emergence of clinical drug resistance is still one of the most challenging factors in cancer treatment effectiveness. Until more recently, the assumption has been that random genetic lesions are sufficient to explain the progression of malignancy and escape from chemotherapy. Here we propose an additional perspective, one in which the tumor cells despite the malignant genome could find a microenvironment either within the tumor or as a dormant cell to remain polar and blend into an organized context. Targeting this dynamic interplay could be considered a new avenue to prevent therapeutic resistance, and may even provide a promising effective cancer treatment. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.