Emerging therapies for malignant glioma.
The current standard of care for malignant gliomas consists of surgery, radiotherapy and conventional (DNA-damaging) chemotherapies. These treatments are relatively nonspecific and may be applied to all glioma subtypes. Developments in cancer medicine, however, now offer the opportunity to direct therapies to specific molecular pathways involved in tumorigenesis. This offers the potential to tailor treatments to tumor subtypes--perhaps with greater efficacy and less toxicity. Many of the so-called targeted therapies are under investigation in the treatment of malignant glioma. In this review, we will focus on the use of agents that affect signal transduction. In particular, we will review the potential role for inhibitors of: tyrosine kinases, targets of rapamycin, farnesyl transferase and histone deacetylase. Inhibitors of angiogenesis will also be discussed. Some 'targeted' therapies are less specific than others, working on more than one pathway or receptor, thus complex interactions are possible.
Lukas
Rimas V
RV
University of Chicago, Department of Neurology, MC 2030, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. rlukas@neurology.bsd.uchicago.edu
Boire
Adrienne
A
Nicholas
M Kelly
MK
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005260:Female; D005910:Glioma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D011379:Prognosis; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases