Emerging Drugs to Treat Squamous Cell Carcinomas of the Head and Neck

Overview

Journal Expert Opin Emerg Drugs

Date 2010 Jun 19

PMID 20557270

Citations 54

Authors

Christopher Fung

Jennifer R Grandis

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Importance Of The Field: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the eighth leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Despite advances in surgery and chemoradiation therapy, there has been little improvement in survival rates over the past 4 decades. Additionally, surgery and chemoradiotherapy have serious side effects. The development of agents with greater efficacy and tolerability is needed.

Areas Covered In This Review: EGFR is the only proven molecular target for HNSCC therapy. Cetuximab, the sole FDA-approved molecular targeted HNSCC therapy, and other potential targeted therapies are being evaluated in preclinical, clinical and post-marketing studies. Here, we review the emerging targets for biological agents in HNSCC and the rationale for their selection.

What The Reader Will Gain: Key information in the development of new drug targets and the emergence of new biomarkers are discussed. Readers will gain insight regarding the limitations of current therapies, the impact of recently approved targeted therapies and the influence that predictive biomarkers will have on drug development.

Take Home Message: The head and neck cancer drug market is rapidly evolving. Coordination between drug and biomarker development efforts may soon yield targeted therapies that can achieve the promise of personalized cancer medicine.

Citing Articles

Receptor, Signal, Nucleus, Action: Signals That Pass through Akt on the Road to Head and Neck Cancer Cell Migration.

Alzawi A, Iftikhar A, Shalgm B, Jones S, Ellis I, Islam M Cancers (Basel). 2022; 14(11).

PMID: 35681586 PMC: 9179418. DOI: 10.3390/cancers14112606.

Bax/Bcl-2 Cascade Is Regulated by the EGFR Pathway: Therapeutic Targeting of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Alam M, Alam S, Shamsi A, Adnan M, Elasbali A, Abu Al-Soud W Front Oncol. 2022; 12:869672.

PMID: 35402265 PMC: 8990771. DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.869672.

Overcoming resistance to EGFR monotherapy in HNSCC by identification and inhibition of individualized cancer processes.

Jubran M, Vilenski D, Flashner-Abramson E, Shnaider E, Vasudevan S, Rubinstein A Theranostics. 2022; 12(3):1204-1219.

PMID: 35154483 PMC: 8771558. DOI: 10.7150/thno.64347.

Current and Emerging Molecular Therapies for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Kordbacheh F, Farah C Cancers (Basel). 2021; 13(21).

PMID: 34771633 PMC: 8582411. DOI: 10.3390/cancers13215471.

5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine induces apoptosis and inhibits tumour growth in vivo of FaDu cells, a specific HPVnegative HNSCC cell line.

Miari R, Azzam N, Bar-Shalom R, Fares F PLoS One. 2021; 16(9):e0253756.

PMID: 34534222 PMC: 8448306. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253756.

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