title: Current stumbling blocks in oncology drug development.
abstract: The prognosis of patients with metastatic cancer remains poor and treatment strategies including newer generations of chemotherapeutics have not significantly improved survival in most solid tumors. New approaches are required to further improve patient outcome and survival. Recently, a major leap in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in signal transduction pathways that contribute to tumor growth have been identified as therapeutic targets. Particularly molecules involved in cellular proliferation (e.g., tyrosine kinases) and angiogenesis have been considered as targets for new treatment approaches. Novel therapeutics that specifically target kinase transduction pathways have shown promise as single agents and in combination with standard chemotherapy. In addition, results of recent studies with antiangiogenic monoclonal antibodies validate the use of this class of targeted therapeutics as an important new treatment modality in cancer. This review will focus on the drug development stumbling blocks of targeted treatment modalities in cancer.
authors.affiliation: Global Pharma Development, Medical Sciences, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland. Claude.Gimmi@Roche.com
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Gimmi
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D015195:Drug Design; D004345:Drug Industry; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D006801:Humans; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents