Most patients that die from cancer do not die due to the primary tumor but due to the development of metastases. However, there is currently still no drug on the market that specifically addresses and inhibits metastasis formation. This lack was, in the past, largely due to the lack of appropriate screening models, but recent developments have established such models and have provided evidence that tumor cell migration works as a surrogate for metastasis formation. Herein we deliver on several examples a rationale for not only testing novel cancer drugs by use of these screening assays, but also reconsider established drugs even of other fields of indication.
As the number of novel drugs that have entered the market in oncology has slowed in recent years, there has been a dramatic shift towards new therapeutic approaches. The majority of cancer patients die from metastasis formation, which has prompted the pharmaceutical industry to begin to investigate a new class of agents: anti-metastatics. This review provides an overview of the targets, mechanisms of action, and drug substances currently in the pharma pipeline to inhibit tumor cell migration and metastasis formation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.