CA -- eLetters for Ma and Adjei, 59 (2) 111-137

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Articles:
Wen W. Ma and Alex A. Adjei
Novel Agents on the Horizon for Cancer Therapy
CA Cancer J Clin 2009; 59: 111-137 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]

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Electronic letters published:

Novel agents for cancer therapy and cancer multidrug resistance promote an evolutionary arms race: Xiaofang Xu, Bin Liu (27 July 2009)

Novel agents for cancer therapy and cancer multidrug resistance promote an evolutionary arms race 27 July 2009

Xiaofang Xu,
dentist
Department of Oral Biology, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, 145 Chang,
Bin Liu
Send letter to journal:
Re: Novel agents for cancer therapy and cancer multidrug resistance promote an evolutionary arms race

xiaofangxu-fmmu{at}hotmail.com Xiaofang Xu, et al.

Dear Editor,
We have recently read the excellent article written by Drs. Ma and Adjei [1] with great interest. The authors reviewed the various types of cancer targets and novel target-based anticancer drugs which are still in early phase clinical evaluation. They have provided a broad introduction to the classes of chemotherapeutic agents which are likely to enter the field of clinical practice in the near future. However, it is disappointing that the authors failed to call readers' attention to the multidrug resistance (MDR) polymorphism in cancer chemotherapy. The novel target-based, "tumor cell-specific" drugs had been intensified; however, cancer cells always showed resistance to those drugs immediately. For example, the imatinib mesylate mentioned by authors had a high rate of cytogenetic and haematologic responses in patients with chronic-phase CML in whom previous therapy had failed. Unfortunately, not long after initial use of imatinib, resistance to the drug was demonstrated in CML patients [2-4]. Cancer universally produces MDR which involves cellular and non-cellular mechanisms employed by cancer cells to survive cytotoxic actions of various structurally and functionally unrelated drugs; hence cancer MDR is still a major cause of failure in the clinical therapy of cancer patients. Development of novel agents for cancer therapy and the cancer MDR promote an evolutionary arms race. In this battlefield, we have to emphasize the knowledge of mechanisms of MDR in research of novel anticancer drugs, as Sun Tzu stated in The Art of War, "Know your enemy and know yourself; you will never be defeated in any battles."
With best regards,
Xiaofang Xu, DDS
Bin Liu, DDS,PhD
Correspondence: Bin Liu, DDS, PhD, Department of Oral Biology, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, 145 Chang Le Xi Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province 710032, P. R. China; E-mail: kqyljd@fmmu.edu.cn or Xiaofang Xu, DDS, Department of Oral Biology, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, 145 Chang Le Xi Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province 710032, P. R. China; E-mail: xiaofangxu- fmmu@hotmail.com
References:
[1] Ma WW, Adjei AA. Novel agents on the horizon for cancer therapy. CA Cancer J Clin 2009; 59:111-137.
[2] Gorre ME, Mohammed M, Ellwood K, et al. Clinical resistance to STI-571 cancer therapy caused by BCR-ABL gene mutation or amplification. Science 2001; 293:876-880.
[3] Azam M, Latek RR, Daley GQ. Mechanisms of autoinhibition and STI- 571/imatinib resistance revealed by mutagenesis of BCR-ABL. Cell 2003; 112:831-843.
[4] Roche-Lestienne C, Lai JL, Darre S, Facon T, Preudhomme C. A mutation conferring resistance to imatinib at the time of diagnosis of chronic myelogenous leukemia. N Engl J Med 2003; 348:2265-2266.