Introduction Genetic alterations are the driving force behind cancer development and progression. It follows that cancer could potentially be treated by correcting these alterations using gene therapy or by agents that kill cells by mechanisms based on these genetic alterations.…
Acknowledgment This chapter is revised and updated from the same chapter in the prior edition of Molecular Basis of Cancer. That chapter was written by the author together with R. Silverman and G. Sen of the Cleveland Clinic, whose prior…
Therapeutic vaccination for cancer continues to be a major approach to the overall immunotherapy of cancer. Historically, interest in cancer immunology stemmed from the perceived potential activity of the immune system as a weapon against cancer cells. In fact, the…
Introduction Key features of the immune system are its abilities to distinguish self from nonself, to recognize and respond to a myriad of foreign molecules (antigens) with exquisite specificity, to remember previously encountered antigens and quickly mobilize an expanded response,…
Introduction Monoclonal antibodies have emerged as mainstays of cancer therapy and have had a significant impact on the morbidity and mortality of several cancers. This chapter will discuss the attributes that make antibodies powerful cancer therapeutics, how some antibodies are…
Introduction The term pharmacogenetics is believed to have first been used in 1959 by Vogel who defined it as “the study of genetically determined variations revealed by the effect of drugs.” Motulsky described the field similarly, but perhaps from the…
Introduction All commercially available anticancer agents must have undergone Phase I investigation as part of their clinical development. As novel anticancer drugs evolved from primarily cytotoxic agents to targeted therapies, clinical investigators have developed novel Phase I trial designs and…
Chemotherapy of cancers has resulted in some notable successes, such as the cure of the majority of patients with childhood leukemias, testicular carcinomas, and Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin lymphomas. In other cancer types, such as breast, colorectal, and lung, chemotherapy also…
Cancer is characterized by the transformation of normal cells to ones characterized by abnormal cellular differentiation, proliferation, invasion, and metastases. The molecular and biochemical bases underlying the transformation process are becoming increasingly clear and provide critically important information for identifying…
Targeted therapy of human disease celebrated its 100th birthday in 2011. A century ago Paul Ehrlich, a German pathologist, produced the first “rationally designed” drug, which selectively targeted the microorganism Treponema pallidum , the cause of syphilis. The project was…