Strategies to overcome antineoplastic drug resistance

Abstract

This thesis focuses on various strategies to deal with cancer drug resistance and improve treatment efficacy. Technological advances have enabled researchers to gain more insight in the immense molecular complexity of cancer and mechanisms of drug resistance. The ability to measure cancer-related molecular aberrations provides an opportunity to predict response to treatment (enabling personalized cancer medicine). In addition, improved understanding of mechanisms of resistance may lead to new rationales to test drugs or innovative treatment strategies with well-established anticancer drugs. This thesis describes several aspects of the concept of personalized cancer medicine as well as several innovative strategies to delay drug resistance.