Diverse Cancer Therapeutic Interactions: Complexities in Cancer Management

Cancer is a multifactorial manifestation of diverse complexities linked with its development and progression. The environment is a source of exposure to multiple carcinogens including radiation, which causes aberration in critical regulators of cell cycle. The gene–environment interactions include highly complex downstream signaling pathways which are implicated in the process of tumorigenesis. Identification and understanding of the intricate signal mechanism is a challenging task because of the diversity of signaling networks involved in cancer. Different types of cancers exhibit a diverse set of mutations affecting a variety of signaling cascades. The better prognostic, diagnostic, and therapeutic approaches to combat cancer have been limited due to gaps in incomplete understanding of these complex molecular signaling cascades. Cancer biologists are working hard to gain insights into these intricate molecular complexities to develop efficient therapeutics for cancer. There are several anticancer drugs available for cancer treatment. However, a majority of them are associated with severe side effects and thus do not significantly contribute to patient survival. The nonspecific interaction of drugs with normal signaling pathways is primarily responsible for side effects observed. In addition, the effectiveness of therapeutic approaches becomes difficult due to individuals’ genetic differences. The present chapter entails to discuss the toxicity associated with some existing drugs used for cancer treatment. We have also discussed an integrative approach for understanding the complex interactions of drugs with various signaling networks to explore the possibility of better therapeutic options with reduced toxicity concerns. Personalized therapy has been discussed in the chapter considering its importance in effective cancer therapy.