For decades, conventional cancer treatments have involved bombarding patients with maximum tolerable doses of drugs to kill as many cancer cells as possible while minimizing any adverse side effects the patient may incur. However, cancer cells that make up the tumor growths aren't all the same. By chance, some cancer cells develop mutations or alter their genetic material making them immune to cancer drugs. These cells then proliferate and repopulate the tumor leading to therapeutic resistance that renders cancer medication ineffective.
On the other hand, researchers now believe that evolution and ecology can play a vital role in preventing cancer drug resistance and lead to faster recovery.
Understanding Cancer
According to the World Health Organization, cancer is a generic term that encompasses a large group of diseases that affect any part of the human body. As of 2020 cancer is the leading cause of death globally, accounting for almost 10 million deaths.
WHO states that breast cancer with 2.26 million cases and lung cancer with 2.21 million cases are the most prolific forms of cancer.
The deadly condition arises from normal cells transforming into tumor cells in a multi-stage process that generally progresses from pre-cancerous lesions to a malignant tumor. These changes in a person's cells result from interaction in a person's genetic factors and external agents including physical carcinogens, chemical carcinogens, and biological carcinogens.
When therapeutic resistance occurs physicians normally switch to another drug that targets a different cancer cell aspect. It continues until therapy is able to control cancer or no more drugs are left. This type of protocol has led to a plethora of drugs that target specific features of the biology of cancer tumors from boosting the natural defense system of the body to blocking chemical signals to prevent the cells from growing. Although some of these cancer drugs have proven effective in a subset of patients it doesn't work for all patients.
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Evolutionary Game Theory's Role in Cancer Treatments
Researchers asked two vital questions to improve the long-term positive outcomes for all patients: What are the mechanics that allow tumors to grow? And how do they become resistant? Looking at cancer using ecology and evolutionary lenses researchers
According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the evolutionary game theory uses rigorous mathematics to predict how an event will react to changes in its environment in a way that not only maximizes fitness but also its ability to reproduce. It is believed to help researchers further understand the effect of selective pressures such as external factors that affect the survival of the organism. In cancer cases, selective pressures can be therapies and EGT's that help researchers further understand their effects on the interaction of cancer cells and their environment, reports BigThink.
Looking forward, evolutionary game theory can help oncologists and scientists more effectively predict cancer's response to various treatments and potentially control the evolutionary trajectory of cancer.
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