what you have found to be the biggest challenges that mutati

what you have found to be the biggest challenges that mutations pose to oncologists and cancer biologist who seek to find novel cures against cancers?

Solution

Mutations are the changes which occured to genes sequences that sometimes give rise to canerous cells leading to uncontrollable growth. Earlier, the treatment given to cancer patients was not specifically related to the molecular abberations present in the cells. The treatment was related to clinical characteristics and the histology of the tumour.

In recent years, the method of treatment has changed thorughly. As the treatment for cancer is totally based on therapies designed for molecular mutations in tumour cells. These therapies are known as targeted therapies as per their mode of action. These therapies are directed to the clonal mutations which are shared by all of other cells in the cancer. Also, these therapies are against a molecular target which are not curative due to the prescence of manysimilar forms of resistance. Also, in the cancerous cells if the some subclonies are present which can resistive to the treatment therapy. Then, this resistance of the cells will leads to the rapidly expansion and repopulation the tumour cells during treatment.

In some studies, clonal mutations are associated with the development of drug resistance and as a potential threat for tumour evolution.

Thus, the challenges of drug resistance and repopulation of tumour cells can be stated as biggest challenges that mutations pose to oncologists.