Cancer Therapeutic Resistance. Progress and Perspectives

Resistance to therapy is the principal cause of failure to cure cancer patients. Despite major advances in understanding the molecular basis of cancer obtained during recent years, there are very few examples of the clinical translation of therapeutic strategies against resistance. Different limitations across research areas critically explain the existence of this fundamental problem: the complexity of each cancer type and therapy, the lack of precise or personalized molecular profiles that may predict therapy benefit and/or resistance, the unclear evolution of cancer cells and populations under therapeutic pressure, and the diversity of pre-clinical models, among other issues, probably account to the limited success to defeat therapeutic resistance.

This B·Debate meeting, co-organized by the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) and the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), has the aim to present, discuss and enhance the latest basic and translational research advances against resistance. The debates will gather national and international experts, basic, translational and clinical cancer researchers working on cancer therapy; industry professionals and leaders involved in clinical development and/or health care policies, cancer patient/family associations and individuals from the general population willing to know about the latest advances in the field.

This debate has been made possible by support from The Company of Biologists.