Novel biological radiochemotherapy approaches in locally advanced-stage cervical cancer management

Biological anticancer agents that enhance radiochemotherapeutic effect are appealing in the modern medical treatment of uterine cervix cancer. In this concise review, the focus is on three classes of biological anticancer agents. The first class is ribonucleotide reductase inhibitors. These biological anticancer agents impede deoxyribonucleotide payout and stop new synthesis of DNA molecule building blocks. By disrupting deoxyribonucleotide supply and demand economics, ribonucleotide reductase inhibitors disrupt the repair of radiation- and chemotherapy-induced DNA damage and enhance cancer cell death. Angiogenesis inhibitors represent a second class of biological anticancer agents. Angiogenesis inhibitors are conceptually thought to normalize cancer tumor vasculature and modulate vascular endothelial growth factor signals. Consequences of normalized tumor vessel permeability are better oxygen supply for radiosensitization and improved tumor fluid dynamics imparting chemosensitization. A third class, cytolytic T-cell immune modulators, edits human immune system responses to cancer cell antigens. These biological anticancer agents exploit molecular signaling involved in immune detection and in immune eradication. Completed and planned clinical trials utilizing these agents are discussed relative to the future radiochemotherapeutic management of uterine cervix cancer.