Targeting the tumor microenvironment.
Despite some notable successes cancer remains, for the most part, a seemingly intractable problem. There is, however, a growing appreciation that targeting the tumor epithelium in isolation is not sufficient as there is an intricate mutually sustaining synergy between the tumor epithelial cells and their surrounding stroma. As the details of this dialogue emerge, new therapeutic targets have been proposed. The FDA has already approved drugs targeting microenvironmental components such as VEGF and aromatase and many more agents are in the pipeline. In this article, we describe some of the "druggable" targets and processes within the tumor microenvironment and review the approaches being taken to disrupt these interactions.
Kenny
Paraic A
PA
Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. pakenny@lbl.gov
Lee
Genee Y
GY
Bissell
Mina J
MJ
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D004164:Diphosphonates / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D015398:Signal Transduction
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors; D004164:Diphosphonates