Treatment of gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors with inhibitors of growth factor receptors and their signaling pathways: recent advances and future perspectives.
The limited efficacy of conventional cytotoxic treatment regimes for advanced gastrointestinal neuroendocrine cancers emphasizes the need for novel and more effective medical treatment options. Recent findings on the specific biological features of this family of neoplasms has led to the development of new targeted therapies, which take into account the high vascularization and abundant expression of specific growth factors and cognate tyrosine kinase receptors. This review will briefly summarize the status and future perspectives of antiangiogenic, mTOR- or growth factor receptor-based pharmacological approaches for the innovative treatment of gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors. In view of the multitude of novel targeted approaches, the rationale for innovative combination therapies, i.e. combining growth factor (receptor)-targeting agents with chemo- or biotherapeutics or with other novel anticancer drugs such as HDAC or proteasome inhibitors will be taken into account.
Höpfner
Michael
M
Schuppan
Detlef
D
Scherübl
Hans
H
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000473:pathology; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D017978:Receptors, Growth Factor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C098069:PIGF protein, human; D017978:Receptors, Growth Factor; C031717:growth inhibitory proteins