Histone deacetylase inhibitors: current status and overview of recent clinical trials

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Epigenetics

Background:

• Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors represent a novel class of anticancer agents.
• HDAC inhibitors modulate gene expression, cell death, and cell cycle arrest by altering protein acetylation.
• They have shown antitumour activity in hematological malignancies and solid tumors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current clinical trial status of HDAC inhibitors as monotherapy and in combination treatments.
• To summarize the efficacy and tolerability of HDAC inhibitors across different clinical trial phases.
• To highlight the potential of combination therapies involving HDAC inhibitors.

Main Methods:

• Review of clinical trials involving HDAC inhibitors.
• Analysis of data on monotherapy and combination treatment efficacy.
• Assessment of tolerability and biological/antitumor activity.

Main Results:

• HDAC inhibitors demonstrated promising antitumour activity in various cancers, particularly hematological malignancies.
• In solid tumors, HDAC inhibitors showed efficacy as single agents and were often favored in combination or prior to chemotherapy.
• Most clinical trials reported HDAC inhibitors to be tolerable, exerting biological or antitumor effects.

Conclusions:

• HDAC inhibitors are a tolerable class of anticancer agents with demonstrated activity in clinical trials.
• Combination therapies involving HDAC inhibitors, including with epigenetic or chemotherapeutic agents, show favorable clinical outcomes.
• Further understanding of the molecular basis of response to HDAC inhibitors is needed.