Therapeutic renaissance of thalidomide in the treatment of haematological malignancies.
Very few drugs had a history similar to that of thalidomide (alpha-N-[phthalimido] gluramide). First introduced in the late 1950s in Germany, in 1961 thalidomide was withdrawn due to its teratogenic effects. More than three decades after, it is attracting growing interest because of its reported immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. The discovery that thalidomide inhibits angiogenesis led to preclinical and clinical trials as an anticancer agent in the treatment of solid tumours and haematological malignancies, as summarized in this review article. More recently, structural analogues of thalidomide have been synthesized in order to explore potential molecular targets of thalidomide, as well as to identify new agents with improved therapeutic efficacy.
Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, University of Bari Medical School, Policlinico, Bari, Italy. ribatti@anatomia.uniba.it
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D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D013792:Thalidomide