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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cancer Drug Sensitization In Vitro and In Vivo
Published on: February 6, 2015
[Routine chemotherapeutic drug treatment effectiveness predictive molecules and chemotherapeutic drug selection]
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beijing Hospital, Beijing, 100730, P. R. China. sparkling8027@sina.com
Abstract:
Drug selection, the key for chemotherapy, is one of the most difficult decision-making in clinic for the treatment of malignant tumors. How to choose is undetermined. Here a new strategy--predictive molecule-targeted chemotherapy (PMTC)--is put forward to choose relatively sensitive chemotherapeutic drugs and to avoid relatively resistant traditional drugs according to the expression of predictive molecules in individual tumor tissue. For example, paclitaxel is regarded as a relatively sensitive drug and may be chosen for the tumors with high expression of p53, while it is predicted as relatively resistant drug and should be avoided for the tumors with high expression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Here, we reviewed the predictive values of a variety of molecules, such as p53, P-gp, topoisomerase-1, topoisomerase-2, MSI, BRCA-1, ERCC1, FANC, hMHL1/2, XPD, Bcl-2, ErbB-2, MGMT, dihydropyridine dehydrogenase (DPD), thymidylate synthetase (TS), deoxycytidine kinase (dCK), Ras, Bax, Cyclin A, tubulin proteins, and so on, for the efficacy of some traditional chemotherapeutic drugs, such as platinum, oxaliplatin, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, dacarbazine, methotrexate, 5-flurouracil, gemcitabine, vincristine, vinorelbine, paclitaxel, etoposide, irinotecan, topotecan, and so on.
Insights
Predictive molecule-targeted chemotherapy (PMTC) offers a new strategy for cancer treatment. This approach uses predictive molecule expression in tumors to select sensitive chemotherapy drugs and avoid resistant ones, improving patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pharmacogenomics
- Molecular Biology
Context:
- Chemotherapy drug selection for malignant tumors is a complex clinical challenge.
- Current methods often lack precision, leading to suboptimal treatment efficacy.
- Tumor heterogeneity necessitates personalized therapeutic strategies.
Purpose:
- To introduce and review the strategy of predictive molecule-targeted chemotherapy (PMTC).
- To highlight the role of predictive molecule expression in guiding chemotherapy drug selection.
- To provide examples of predictive molecules and their association with drug sensitivity/resistance.
Summary:
- PMTC utilizes the expression levels of specific molecules within individual tumor tissues.
- High expression of certain molecules (e.g., p53) may indicate sensitivity to drugs like paclitaxel.
- Conversely, high expression of others (e.g., P-glycoprotein) suggests resistance, guiding avoidance of specific agents.
Impact:
- PMTC aims to improve chemotherapy efficacy by matching drugs to individual tumor profiles.
- This personalized approach can help avoid ineffective treatments and reduce patient side effects.
- The review covers a range of predictive molecules and their relevance to common chemotherapeutic agents.
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