The End of Cytotoxics?

Abstract

Cytotoxic drugs were the first form of cancer chemotherapy to be established, but they can have quite severe side effects. Cytotoxics attack all rapidly dividing cells, including healthy cells and cancer cells. They can therefore cause side effects such as loss of hair, damage to the skin and mucosa, and damage to bone marrow, affecting the immune system. For this reason, the focus of some cancer research has moved from cytotoxics to targeted therapeutics, including monoclonal antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies can be very effective in patients who express the appropriate target; however, not all patients do, and some develop resistance. Monoclonal antibodies, like other biologicals, are also very costly. All is not lost for cytotoxics. Because they have been around for so long, there is an abundance of data on their modes of action. Based on these data, researchers have developed newer cytotoxics that are more effective and have fewer side effects, and approaches that deliver cytotoxics more safely or target them to tumours.