218 Single-cell dynamics maintain an intrinsic drug-resistant state in cutaneous lymphoma

Cancer therapies commonly slow disease and most patients ultimately relapse. Here we show at the single-cell level that cutaneous lymphoma cells are programmed to occupy a rare transient, drug-resistant state. Our work defines a panel of drug-resistance markers allowing identification of this cellular subset in patients. Single-cell analyses reveal a small fraction of cells resisting commonly used drugs such as doxorubicin, vorinostat, and methotrexate. In cell fate analyses, we observed that drug treatment leads to selective survival of label-retaining cells leading to re-growth of xenograft tumors consistent with a relapse-inducing phenotype.
Source: Journal of Investigative Dermatology - Category: Dermatology Authors: Tags: Carcinogenesis and Cancer Genetics Source Type: research