Review of how mTOR signalling confers resistance to targeted cancer therapies.
| Evidence tier | D Mechanistic / in vitro / review |
| Study type | Narrative Review |
| Model system | Review |
| Journal | Trends in cancer |
| Year | 2016 |
| Peer reviewed | Yes |
| Source | DOI 10.1016/j.trecan.2016.10.006 · PMID 28741507 |
Cancer is a complex disease and a leading cause of death worldwide. Extensive research over decades has led to the development of therapies that target cancer-specific signaling pathways. However, the clinical benefits of such drugs are at best transient due to tumors displaying intrinsic or adaptive resistance. The underlying compensatory pathways that allow cancer cells to circumvent a drug blockade are poorly understood. We review here recent studies suggesting that mammalian TOR (mTOR) signaling is a major compensatory pathway conferring resistance to many cancer drugs. mTOR-mediated resistance can be cell-autonomous or non-cell-autonomous. These findings suggest that mTOR signaling should be monitored routinely in tumors and that an mTOR inhibitor should be considered as a co-therapy.
| Intervention | Not applicable (review) |
| Target | mTOR |
| Model | Review |
| Effect | mTOR signaling is a major compensatory pathway conferring resistance to targeted cancer drugs |