Abstract A040: A novel stroma-mediated positive interaction between resistant and sensitive cells in non-small cell lung cancer facilitates drug resistance
Authors: Shah Rishi M. , Yarlagadda Sagnik , Robertson-Tessi Mark , Desai Bina , Miti Tatiana , Miroshnychenko Daria , Basanta David , Marusyk Andriy , Anderson Alexander 
Published: November 2024

Resistance to targeted therapies, particularly those inhibiting oncogenic tyrosine kinases (TKIs), presents a significant challenge in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Despite initial robust clinical responses, tumors often relapse due to the emergence of resistant cell populations. The origins of this resistance—whether it is pre-existing in a subset of tumor cells or arises de novo during treatment—remains a critical question in understanding and combating therapeutic failure. To investigate this, we developed in silico mathematical models that integrate both pre-existing and de novo resistance mechanisms within a framework that explicitly integrates the stromal niche. Our study focused on the evolutionary dynamics of NSCLC in response to therapy, using a hybrid agent-based spatial modeling framework (HAL) to simulate tumor behavior under treatment. These models were designed to simulate the complex interactions between resistant and sensitive tumor cells, mediated by the stroma, and to predict the timing of relapse based on these interactions. Our findings suggest that stroma-mediated interactions play a crucial role in the evolutionary dynamics of therapy responses, influencing the fitness and survival of both resistant and sensitive cells. Specifically, our models predict that pre-existing resistance is unlikely to be compatible with the long remission periods observed in a substantial subset of patients treated with advanced anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors. This conclusion was supported by the observed relapse times and volumetric tumor growth data from subsequent animal models. Moreover, our analyses highlight the importance of ecological factors within the tumor microenvironment in shaping the response to therapy. The spatial models we developed reveal that the stroma can foster positive interactions between resistant and sensitive cells, thereby accelerating the emergence of resistance. These insights underscore the need to consider the stromal niche when developing new therapeutic strategies and when interpreting the dynamics of drug resistance. In conclusion, our study provides new insights into the role of stroma in mediating resistance to TKIs in NSCLC. By combining mathematical modeling with experimental data, we have elucidated how stroma-mediated interactions between tumor cells can influence the evolution of resistance, challenging the assumption that pre-existing resistance alone drives relapses in TKI-treated patients. Our findings emphasize the need for adaptive therapeutic approaches that anticipate and disrupt these microenvironmental interactions to improve patient outcomes.

Citation Format: Rishi M. Shah, Sagnik Yarlagadda, Mark Robertson-Tessi, Bina Desai, Tatiana Miti, Daria Miroshnychenko, David Basanta, Andriy Marusyk, Alexander Anderson. A novel stroma-mediated positive interaction between resistant and sensitive cells in non-small cell lung cancer facilitates drug resistance [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Tumor-body Interactions: The Roles of Micro- and Macroenvironment in Cancer; 2024 Nov 17-20; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(22_Suppl):Abstract nr A040.