Combining Organoid Models with Next-Generation Sequencing to Reveal Tumor Heterogeneity and Predict Therapeutic Response in Breast Cancer

Patient-derived tumor organoids: a new avenue for preclinical research and precision medicine in oncology

Over the past decade, the emergence of patient-derived tumor organoids (PDTOs) has broadened the repertoire of preclinical models and progressively revolutionized three-dimensional cell culture in oncology. PDTO can be grown from patient tumor samples with high efficiency and faithfully recapitulates the histological and molecular characteristics of the original tumor. Therefore, PDTOs can serve as invaluable tools in oncology research, and their translation to clinical practice is exciting for the future of precision medicine in oncology. In this review, we provide an overview of methods for establishing PDTOs and their various applications in cancer research, starting with basic research and ending with the identification of new targets and preclinical validation of new anticancer compounds and precision medicine. Finally, we highlight the challenges associated with the clinical implementation of PDTO, such as its representativeness, success rate, assay speed, and lack of a tumor microenvironment. Technological developments and autologous cocultures of PDTOs and stromal cells are currently ongoing to meet these challenges and optimally exploit the full potential of these models. The use of PDTOs as standard tools in clinical oncology could lead to a new era of precision oncology in the coming decade.

Emerging roles of 3D-culture systems in tackling tumor drug resistance

Drug resistance that affects patients universally is a major challenge in cancer therapy. The development of drug resistance in cancer cells is a multifactor event, and its process involves numerous mechanisms that allow these cells to evade the effect of treatments. As a result, the need to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer drug sensitivity is imperative. Traditional 2D cell culture systems have been utilized to study drug resistance, but they often fail to mimic the 3D milieu and the architecture of real tissues and cell-cell interactions. As a result of this, 3D cell culture systems are now considered a comprehensive model to study drug resistance in vitro. Cancer cells exhibit an in vivo behavior when grown in a three-dimensional environment and react to therapy more physiologically. In this review, we discuss the relevance of main 3D culture systems in the study of potential approaches to overcome drug resistance and in the identification of personalized drug targets with the aim of developing patient-specific treatment strategies that can be put in place when resistance emerges.