What is it about?
Cancer cells can carry small pieces of DNA outside their chromosomes, known as extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA). These DNA structures often contain cancer-promoting genes and can make tumors grow faster, spread more easily, and become resistant to treatment. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about ecDNA in solid tumors, including how it develops, how it interacts with the immune system, and how it contributes to resistance to targeted therapies. We also discuss new technologies for detecting ecDNA and emerging treatment strategies aimed at overcoming its effects. A better understanding of ecDNA may lead to more effective and personalized cancer treatments in the future.
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Why is it important?
Extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) has emerged as one of the most important mechanisms driving cancer progression and treatment resistance, yet it remains underrecognized in clinical oncology. This review brings together current evidence on the biology of ecDNA, its role in immune evasion, and its contribution to resistance to targeted therapies across solid tumors. By highlighting emerging diagnostic technologies and potential therapeutic strategies, this work provides researchers and clinicians with a comprehensive overview of a rapidly evolving field that may shape the next generation of precision cancer treatment.
Perspectives
As a medical oncologist and researcher, I was particularly interested in ecDNA because it represents an exciting and rapidly evolving area of cancer biology with significant clinical implications. Working on this review allowed me to better appreciate how ecDNA influences tumor evolution, immune interactions, and treatment resistance. I hope this article helps raise awareness of this emerging field and encourages further research that will ultimately improve outcomes for patients with cancer.
Omar Badran
Technion Israel Institute of Technology
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Extrachromosomal DNA in Solid Tumors—Landscape, Immune Effects, and Resistance to Targeted Therapy, Oncology Research Featuring Preclinical and Clinical Cancer Therapeutics, January 2026, Tsinghua University Press,
DOI: 10.32604/or.2026.075916.
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