What to do if your body is resisting cancer treatment? Advanced therapies, personalised medicine to address resistance

What to do if your body is resisting cancer treatment? Advanced therapies, personalised medicine to address resistance

What to do if your body is resisting cancer treatment? Advanced therapies, personalised medicine to address resistance ByZarafshan Shiraz, New Delhi Feb 08, 2025 05:48 PM IST Read this news in brief form Share Via Copy Link New hope for cancer patients: Know about the revolutionary therapies, personalised medicine and cancer treatments that are changing the game!

Cancer treatment effectiveness can be assessed clinically or by tests like radiology or tumour marker blood tests. According to experts, doctors use a combination of clinical symptoms, imaging and biomarkers to assess the effectiveness of cancer treatment.

Cancer treatments are failing but these new innovations could be the answer!(Image by Shutterstock) How can doctors assess whether a treatment is ineffective?

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Anjali Kulkarni, Vice President - RWE Strategy and Analytics and Oncologist at 4baseCare, shared, “In case of visible tumours like in the oral cavity the size of lesion can be checked. Sometimes if the symptoms like difficulty in swallowing continue then the doctors can conclude that treatment is not helping to relieve the symptoms.”

She revealed, “Most definitive is the imaging tests like PETCT , CT or MRI can assess the original tumour size and current tumour size after treatment and if there is no change in size or increase then the clinician can conclude that the treatment is ineffective. Increases in tumour markers like CA 125 or PSA can be indicators of ineffective treatment.”

Bringing his expertise to the same, Dr Sandeep Nayak, Director - Department of Surgical Oncology at Fortis Hospital in Bengaluru's Bannerghatta Road, pointed out how doctors can assess whether a treatment is ineffective -

Dr Anjali Kulkarni highlighted, “Genomic testing helps to understand the possible drug resistance in some cancers. It helps identify the certain mutations which are associated with higher response to certain categories of drugs. For example, patients with BRCA mutations are often highly responsive to PARP inhibitors, which target DNA repair mechanisms. Genomic testing repeated over a period of time helps to identify the changing mutation profile which will help to modify treatment protocols.”

She added, “Pharmacogenomics is a specialised branch which investigates how changes in genes affect response to medications. There are bio simulation models which run on the genomic file of the patient and suggest the potential drug combinations. Tests like liquid biopsy which are blood-based tests to assess the changing mutation profile over time and could potentially be of help in identifying biomarkers of resistance and suggest alternate protocols.”

Dr Sandeep Nayak asserted, “Yes, significant advancements are being made to address treatment resistance. However, many of these are in research phase.” He explained -

Dr Anjali Kulkarni answered, “Personalised approach using genomic testing, transcriptome and pathway studies will help understand the mutation profile in depth. This will help clinician to prescribe optimal combinations of drugs or to change the drugs quickly.”

Dr Sandeep Nayak elaborated, “Personalised medicine plays a crucial role in overcoming treatment resistance by tailoring therapies to the unique genetic and molecular profile of a patient's cancer.” According to him, this approach includes -

By focusing on the individual characteristics of the cancer, personalized medicine increases the chances of treatment success and minimizes unnecessary side effects.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.