Killing time for cancer cells.
As the signalling pathways that control cellular proliferation and death are unravelled, a range of targets have emerged as candidates for molecular cancer therapy. For their survival, cancer cells depend on a few highly activated signalling pathways; inhibition of these pathways has a strong apoptotic effect and can lead to tumour regression. But drugs that exploit this weakness, such as imatinib, have not cured patients: withdrawal of the drug leads to disease recurrence, and sustained treatment leads to the emergence of drug-resistant clones. Can cancer be cured, or will it have to be controlled as a chronic disease?
Klein
Shoshana
S
Unit of Cellular Signalling, Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
McCormick
Frank
F
Levitzki
Alexander
A
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors