FIGURE 3 |.

Therapy alters the cancer cell ecological niche. Cellular responses to resource depletion in the face of therapy can induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migration, altered resource acquisition, and angiogenesis (upper L). Therapy-induced cellular damage can promote continued growth and tissue remodeling, providing growth factors and tissue space for remaining cancer cells to reoccupy the altered niche (bottom L). Removal of drug-sensitive cells from an ecological niche can allow drug-resistant cells to take over the new niche (top R). Immune checkpoint inhibition induces in the immune system a switch from a commensal to predatory.