Body’s Natural Defense System May Resist Anti-Cancer Drugs, Researchers Say

Cancer cells may become resistant to anti-cancer drugs because of some natural defense mechanism that protects the body against natural poisons, National Cancer Institute researchers say.

Moreover, since most common cancers also appear linked to exposure to a toxic substance, the government scientists said the body’s defensive processes may be in action before drug treatment is even started.

When drug treatment begins, the cancer cells may be incapable of distinguishing between the toxicity of the cancer-causing substance and the anti-cancer drug and thus the cancer cells may resist the beneficial effects of the drugs.

The theory was put forth by Dr. Charles Myers and associates in a report in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

The idea may complement studies by other researchers at the NCI and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who reported in a recent issue of the journal Cell that they have cracked the genetic code for a gene they believe may have an important role in determining why some cancer patients become resistant to a variety of drugs.