Holistic Molecular Approaches for Anticancer Therapy

Abstract

Cancer is a threat concomitant with human history. Although we have stepped into the very advanced twenty first century with considerable progress in cancer treatment, it is still a very difficult disease to treat and is the second most common disease that causes mortality. In recent years, the discovery of new anticancer drugs has evolved from a dramatic shift from cell based screening for anti proliferative effects to a more mechanistically based approach that targets the specific molecular lesions thought to be responsible for the development and maintenance of the malignant phenotype in various forms of cancer. The development of molecularly targeted drugs has improved the efficacy and selectivity of cancer treatment by exploiting the differences between cancer cells and normal cells. Targeted therapies are now a component of treatment for many types of cancer, including breast, colorectal, lung and pancreatic as well as lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma. In order to enhance the specificity and efficacy of current cancer therapies, the aim of this review is to shed light on some of the important molecular targets.

KEYWORDS: Cancer, Apoptosis, Cell signalling, Therapeutic targets.