Ioannis Papasotiriou
According to the latest cancer statistics presented worldwide, there has been a dramatic increase in the rates of occurrence of some cancers, particularly in the more developed countries. Although many therapeutic strategies to prevent and/or cure this disease have been proposed and evaluated by clinicians and researchers, there remains a need to find more effective approaches. Side effects such as toxicity and drug resistance are two of the most frequent problems faced during chemotherapy.
Small - molecule drugs are being intensively pursued as new anticancer therapeutics. Oncology drug discovery has benefited significantly from progress in understanding how to target kinases with small molecules that were found to be correlated with the disease. One reason for this is that many kinases have been found to be intimately involved in the processes leading to tumor cell proliferation and survival. Monoclonal antibodies, that are produced in vitro, can be used in cancer treatment in a number of ways. They may enhance the immune system by reacting with certain types of cancer cells. They can be programmed to act against specific cell growth factors to interfere with the growth of cancer cells. Furthermore, they may be linked to anticancer drugs, radioactive substances, other biologic therapies, or other toxins (antibody – omicsonline.orgdrug conjugates). Finally, the usage of cytotoxic monoclonal antibodies during the process of bone marrow transplantation may be a key to improve the efficacy of the method.
The objective of this review was to present some of the new cancer treatment modalities that have been developed. The advantages of each method including its safety and efficacy have been highlighted. The present study may support the improvement and development of new therapeutic approaches.
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