title: Novel pharmacological approaches in the treatment of breast cancer.
abstract: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women. Novel pharmacological agents, including hormonal, cytotoxic and biological therapies, are currently being developed and tested in clinical trials and may offer patients more treatment options and an improved chance of long-term survival. Signal transduction inhibitors that block endocrine or growth factor pathways have demonstrated exciting antitumour effects in clinical trials. In addition to new chemotherapeutic drugs, numerous biological agents including growth factor receptor-directed monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors that target specific molecular lesions are being examined as potential breast cancer treatments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nahta
authors.forename: Gabriel N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Hortobagyi
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Esteva
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006728:Hormones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D006728:Hormones