A novel prosurvival model for cancer under environmental challenge: the "heart-felt" message for therapeutic intervention.

In the present review I propose a novel model system to analyze and to aid prediction of suitable targeted treatments aimed at therapy-resistant cancer cells. The concept of cancer cell prosurvival reaction to adverse external tumor microenvironment is explored in the context of the reaction of myocardium to unfavorable physiologic conditions. Many of the protective and indeed nonprotective (tumor suppressor) reactive mechanisms in both cancer and heart tissue challenged with an adverse environment follow similar and predictable patterns. Based on these observations, a model is constructed that may aid prediction of future therapies aimed to target cancer--particularly chemotherapy/radiotherapy resistance and dormant disease. As another feature of the model, ways to better forecast future therapies aimed at augmenting cardioprotective paths is made possible through understanding of pathways used to sustain cancer cells under external challenges.