Using Pharmacology to Squeeze the Life Out of Childhood Leukemia, and Potential Strategies to Achieve Breakthroughs in Medulloblastoma Treatment.

Using Pharmacology to Squeeze the Life Out of Childhood Leukemia, and Potential Strategies to Achieve Breakthroughs in Medulloblastoma Treatment. Pharmacol Rev. 2020 Jul;72(3):668-691 Authors: Wijaya J, Gose T, Schuetz JD Abstract Eliminating cancer was once thought of as a war. This analogy is still apt today; however, we now realize that cancer is a much more formidable enemy than scientists originally perceived, and in some cases, it harbors a profound ability to thwart our best efforts to defeat it. However, before we were aware of the complexity of cancer, chemotherapy against childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was successful because it applied the principles of pharmacology. Herein, we provide a historic perspective of the experience at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In 1962, when the hospital opened, fewer than 3% of patients experienced durable cure. Through judicious application of pharmacologic principles (e.g., combination therapy with agents using different mechanisms of action) plus appropriate drug scheduling, dosing, and pharmacodynamics, the survival of patients with ALL now exceeds 90%. We contrast this approach to treating ALL with the contemporary approach to treating medulloblastoma, in which genetics and molecular signatures are being used to guide the development of more-efficacious treatment strategies with minimal toxicity. Finally, we highlight the emerging technologies that can sustain and ...
Source: Pharmacological Reviews - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Pharmacol Rev Source Type: research