Combination Therapies in Cancer Treatment: Enhancing Efficacy and Reducing Resistance

Combination therapies represent a promising frontier in cancer treatment, addressing the critical need to enhance efficacy while minimizing resistance. By combining different therapeutic agents and modalities, researchers aim to exploit the synergistic effects that can arise from targeting multiple pathways simultaneously. This approach enhances the therapeutic impact and reduces the likelihood of resistance, which is a significant challenge in single-agent therapies. The rationale behind combination therapies is rooted in the complexity of cancer biology. Tumors are heterogeneous, comprising various cell types with distinct genetic and phenotypic profiles. Single-agent therapies often fail to address this complexity, leading to incomplete eradication of the cancer and subsequent resistance. Combining therapies can leverage different mechanisms of action to target various aspects of tumor growth and survival. Moreover, combination therapies can be designed to reduce the adverse effects associated with high doses of single agents. Lower doses of multiple drugs can achieve the desired therapeutic effect while minimizing toxicity. This is particularly important in cancer treatment, where the side effects of therapy can significantly impact patients' quality of life.

Developing combination therapies in cancer discovery requires a robust understanding of drug action and resistance mechanisms. Preclinical studies and clinical trials are essential to identify the most effective combinations and determine the optimal dosing regimens. Integrating advanced technologies, such as high-throughput screening and computational modeling, can accelerate the identification of promising drug combinations. Additionally, personalized medicine approaches, considering the genetic and molecular characteristics of each patient's tumor, can further enhance the efficacy of combination therapies by tailoring treatment to the individual patient. By continuing to explore and refine combination therapies, the scientific community aims to provide more effective and durable treatments for cancer patients.

We welcome Original Research Papers, Reviews, and Mini-Review Articles from preclinical and clinical studies that include but are not limited to the following topics:

• Molecular mechanisms behind synergistic effects of two anticancer agents
• Evading cancer drug resistance by combined approaches
• Overcoming cancer drug resistance by combined approaches
• Combining targeted therapies with immunotherapies to enhance anticancer efficacy
• Impact of combination therapies on the tumor microenvironment
• High-throughput screening for combined approaches in precision medicine
• Role of nanotechnology in combination strategies
• Artificial intelligence for optimizing combination therapies

We hope that this Research Topic can bring together studies and contributions on the subject of combination therapies in cancer treatment to enhance efficacy and reduce resistance. We expect to highlight significant and representative progress in the field to kindle further interest in focused areas by the larger anti-cancer research community.