What Challenges Do Pleiotropic Effects Pose in Cancer Treatment?
Pleiotropic effects pose significant challenges in cancer treatment due to their complexity: - Drug Resistance: Cancer cells can develop resistance to therapies that target specific pathways. The pleiotropic nature of certain genes means that inhibiting one pathway might not be sufficient, as alternative pathways can compensate. - Side Effects: Targeting genes with pleiotropic effects can lead to unintended consequences in normal tissues, resulting in significant side effects. - Heterogeneity: The varied impact of pleiotropic genes contributes to tumor heterogeneity, making it difficult to design one-size-fits-all treatments.
