Fanconi anemia DNA repair pathway as a new mechanism to exploit cancer drug resistance

Chemotherapy employs anti-cancer drugs to stop the growth of cancerous cells, but one common obstacle to the success is the development of chemoresistance, failing the previously effective anti-cancer drugs. Resistance arises from different mechanistic pathways, and in this critical review, we focus on the Fanconi Anemia (FA) pathway in chemoresistance. This pathway has yet to be intensively researched by mainstream cancer researchers. This review aims to inspire a new thrust toward the contribution of the FA pathway to drug resistance in cancer. We believe an in-depth understanding of this pathway will open new frontiers to effectively treat drug-resistant cancer.