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Small-molecule drugs of colorectal cancer: Current status and future directions

Yiren Yang1, Pengyu Liu1, Mingyang Zhou2

  • 1School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, People's Republic of China.

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta. Molecular Basis of Disease
|September 11, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Small molecule drugs offer new hope for colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment. Innovative strategies like dual-target drugs and combination therapies aim to overcome limitations of single-target treatments for better patient outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer death globally.
  • Genetic susceptibility and tumor heterogeneity present challenges in CRC treatment.
  • Optimizing prognosis requires advanced drug treatment modalities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current small molecule drugs for colorectal cancer (CRC) therapy.
  • To explore innovative therapeutic strategies beyond single-target drugs.
  • To highlight the potential of novel drug approaches for personalized CRC treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of small molecule drugs in CRC therapy.
  • Analysis of single-target, dual/multiple-target, and repurposed drugs.
  • Evaluation of combination therapy strategies for CRC.

Main Results:

  • Single-target drugs face limitations due to CRC heterogeneity and metastasis.
  • Dual/multiple-target drugs and drug repurposing show promise.
  • Combination therapies offer a strategy to overcome treatment resistance.

Conclusions:

  • Novel small molecule drugs are crucial for advancing CRC treatment.
  • Targeted therapies, including combination strategies, are key to personalized medicine.
  • Future research should focus on exploiting CRC vulnerabilities with small molecule drugs.
Keywords:
Colorectal cancerConsensus molecular subtypesDrug combinationSignaling pathwaysSmall-molecule drug

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