Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery & Therapy

The most widely used treatments for cancer are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the only option for metastatic cancers, where the treatment has to be systemic. The most frequently used chemotherapy drugs have been identified empirically without any pre-existing knowledge regarding the molecular mechanism of action of the drugs. Despite the remarkable progress achieved in cancer care and research over the past several decades, the treatment options for the majority of epithelial cancers have not changed much. However, a critical mass of knowledge has been accumulated that may transform cancer treatments from cytotoxic regimens towards the rapidly dividing cells into personalized targeted therapies. This chapter will provide an overview of currently used chemotherapeutics and will explore the impact of the molecular understanding of cancer on modern drug discovery, drug development and cancer therapy