Targeting therapy-persistent residual disease

Abstract

Disease relapse driven by acquired drug resistance limits the effectiveness of most systemic anti-cancer agents. Targeting persistent cancer cells in residual disease before relapse has emerged as a potential strategy for enhancing the efficacy and the durability of current therapies. However, barriers remain to implementing persister-directed approaches in the clinic. This Perspective discusses current preclinical and clinical complexities and outlines key steps toward the development of clinical strategies that target therapy-persistent residual disease. Hata and colleagues discuss the complexity and clinical importance of cancer persister cells, as well as existing methods for studying and eliminating them, expanding on challenges and opportunities in this area of research.