The ECM of untreated tumors is thought to be a hard microenvironment, whereas a soft ECM enhances drug resistance by increasing NF-κB signaling activity and downregulating pro-apoptotic JNK signaling activity.250 The tumor microenvironment may be one of the culprits for therapeutic resistance, and researchers have found that maintaining or inhibiting the expression of certain molecules in the tumor microenvironment is a pathway for overcoming drug resistance. The gene discussed is NFKB1; the disease is neoplasm.