Emmanuel Oisakede, Academic Clinical Fellow Resident at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article he and his colleagues co-authored:
“I’m happy to share our latest study, which explores what we believe could represent a meaningful shift in the way we think about cancer treatment.
“Cancer Reversion Therapy: Prospects, Progress and Future Directions” has now been published in Current Issues in Molecular Biology.
For decades, cancer treatment has largely focused on killing cancer cells. While newer therapies exist, many still come with significant toxicity, and outcomes remain poor for many patients – even in the developed world. This review looks at an alternative approach: instead of destroying cancer cells, can we reprogram them back to a non-malignant state?
Our review brings together evidence showing that cancer cells are not always irreversibly malignant. Drawing on advances in epigenetics, differentiation therapy, microenvironmental modulation, and oncogene addiction, we examine how malignant behaviour can, in some contexts, be redirected rather than eliminated.
We also critically assess where the field stands today; separating true, durable cancer reversion from temporary growth arrest or cellular plasticity, and outline the challenges that must be addressed for this approach to move from theory to clinical reality.
Emerging tools such as single-cell technologies, CRISPR-based editing, organoids, and AI-driven drug discovery are accelerating progress in this space.
Cancer reversion therapy is no longer science fiction. If successfully translated, it holds the potential to reduce toxicity, limit resistance, and transform cancer into a more manageable condition.
Special thanks to my co-authors and collaborators for making this work possible.
David Olawade (MPH, FRSPH, SFHEA), Stergios Boussios, Eghosasere Egbon, Oluwaseun Fapohunda, Oluwakemi Bello, Claret Analikwu
Interesting times ahead.”
Title: Cancer Reversion Therapy: Prospects, Progress and Future Directions
Authors: Emmanuel O. Oisakede, David B. Olawade, Oluwakemi Jumoke Bello, Claret Chinenyenwa Analikwu, Eghosasere Egbon, Oluwaseun Fapohunda, Stergios Boussios
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