Rishabh Jain, Medical Oncologist at AIIMS, shared on X:
“Cancer is a game of chance – but we don’t let it win.
Enter the Goldie-Coldman hypothesis: why we hit tumors early and hard with combination chemotherapy.
The math of resistance:
- Each cell division equals a roll for mutation.
- A bigger tumor increases the odds that a resistant clone already exists.
- Single drug? Resistance is inevitable.
The winning strategy:
- Treat early: Smaller tumors have fewer resistant cells.
- Use multiple, non-cross-resistant drugs.
- Alternate regimens to keep clones on the run.
Proof in practice:
This approach shaped curative regimens in:
- Pediatric ALL
- Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Testicular cancer
Caveat: The model oversimplifies real biology, including the tumor microenvironment, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and immunity.
Goldie–Coldman = probability meets oncology → Early + Combo = Cure potential”
More posts featuring Oncology.