ABSTRACT
Recently, eribulin –a nontaxane deep-sea sponge complex synthetic agent - was approved by the FDA. A phase III study (EMBRACE) has demonstrated an overall survival benefit (OS) of eribulin in heavily pre-treated patients with metastatic breast cancer. The eribulin FDA approval is more than just a triumph for patients in desperate need of treatment and represents a hard-won victory for the total synthesis of natural products.
Here I discuss the perspectives of eribulin in the adjuvant setting and the challenges to discover robust biomarkers for predicting resistance to taxane and eribulin sensitivity essential for decision making. Moreover, I describe new technologies-based latest advances with identification of epigenome modifications and microRNAs as therapeutic cancer targets that already are tested in clinical trails. In a more future perspective, I discuss how and why the future lies in the next-generation, biosystems interactions-based drugs considering emerging advances in cancer structural variation, genetic deregulation and cancer networks.
(Citation: Gastric & Breast Cancer 2011; 10(1):
1-18)
This article
is 18 pages long, and includes 3 figures 2 tables and 1 box.
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