Repurposing approved drugs for cancer therapy

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pharmacology
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• Approved drugs for other conditions show potential in controlling tumor growth and minimizing adverse events.
• Repurposing existing drugs can enhance chemotherapy or serve as alternatives to cytotoxic agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of drug repurposing in cancer therapy.
• To identify approved drugs with cytostatic activity for cancer treatment enhancement.
• To investigate the use of anti-inflammatory compounds and cytokines in managing cancer therapy side effects and resistance.

Main Methods:

• Literature searches using keywords 'repurposing and cancer'.
• Utilized databases like clinicaltrials.gov for clinical trial information.
• Referenced pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov for drug structures.

Main Results:

• Drugs like Metformin (diabetes) and Thalidomide (inflammation) exhibit cytostatic activity beneficial for cancer.
• Anti-inflammatory compounds, cytokines, and proteolysis inhibitors can manage chemotherapy side effects and treat kinase inhibitor-resistant tumors.
• Cancer-specific drugs like interferons (IFN) and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) may also aid in managing other conditions like Covid-19.

Conclusions:

• A deeper understanding of drug mechanisms is crucial for successful repurposing in oncology.
• Repurposing offers avenues for primary, adjuvant, and adjunct cancer treatments.
• Further research into drug combinations, reduced cytotoxicity, and inflammation control is timely.