[Conquering drug resistance in lung cancer]

The emergence of drug resistance of the tumors is the critical problem in lung cancer. The multifactorial mechanisms of cisplatin resistance are major problems. The reversal agents against MDR have been evaluated clinically. Increased adverse effects and modulation of pharmacokinetics in combined with cytotoxic drugs are the problems in clinical setting. The new ABC transporters related with MDR were cloned and characterized. Modulators for these transporters could be evaluated their clinical efficacy. High-frequent mutations of beta-tubulin in clinical samples are reported as a predictive marker for paclitaxel. Target-based drugs might conquer the resistance to conventional drugs. Prediction of the drug sensitivity and resistance in each patient will be expected using high-throghput gene screening system.