Endpoint of Cancer Treatment: Targeted Therapies

Abstract

Nowadays there are several limitations in cancer treatment. One of these is the use of conventional medicineswhich not only target cancer cells and thus also cause high toxicity precluding effective treatment. Recentelucidation of mechanisms that cause cancer has led to discovery of novel key molecules and pathways whichhave have become successful targets for the treatments that eliminate only cancer cells. These so-called targetedtherapies offer new hope for millions of cancer patients, as briefly reveiwed here focusing on different types ofagents, like PARP, CDK, tyrosine kinase, farnysyl transferase and proteasome inhibitors, monoclonal antibodiesand antiangiogenic agents.