[Molecular-target drug].
Cancer metastasis involves the complicated steps of tumor growth, angiogenesis, invasion and adhesion. At present new drugs targeting particular molecule (s) responsible for such cancer progression and metastasis have been developed in clinics. Major endpoints for cancer treatment should be prolongation of survival and maintenance of QOL. However, clinical development of such molecular-target based drugs is associated with difficulties in evaluating the efficacy in phase I/II studies prior to entering phase III study, because many of the targeted drugs seem cytostatic rather than cytocidal to tumors. New approaches incorporating technologies of genomics and proteomics may provide an expanding repertoire of molecular targeted therapeutics for clinical evaluation. In this review, the significance and problems of biomarkers available for clinical evaluation of molecular targeted drugs are discussed.
Department of Internal Medicine and Molecular Therapeutics, Institute of Health Biosiences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan.
Saburo
S
Sone
Seiji
S
Yano
Yasuhiko
Y
Nishioka
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D040901:Proteomics; D011788:Quality of Life
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor