Molecularly targeted therapy, or targeted therapy, is one of the major modalities of medical treatment for cancer, others being hormonal therapy and cytotoxic chemotherapy. As a form of molecular medicine, targeted therapy blocks the growth of cancer cells by interfering with specific targeted molecules needed for carcinogenesis and tumor growth, rather than by simply interfering…
Author: Ian Nicholson
What Is Sunitinib Used For?
Sunitinib (brand name Sutent) is a medication used to treat cancer. It is a small-molecule, multi-targeted receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor that was approved by the FDA for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and imatinib-resistant gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) on January 26, 2006. Sunitinib was the first cancer drug simultaneously approved for two…
The New Neuroscience Of Stuttering
Gerald Maguire has stuttered since childhood, but you might not guess it from talking to him. For the past 25 years, Maguire — a psychiatrist at the University of California, Riverside — has been treating his disorder with antipsychotic medications not officially approved for the condition. Only with careful attention might you discern his occasional…
Antioxidant-rich Foods Like Black Tea, Chocolate, And Berries May Increase Risk For Certain Cancers
One fact that has long baffled doctors is that cancer in the small intestine is quite rare, whereas colorectal cancer, taking place in the neighboring though much smaller organ, is one of the leading causes of cancer death for men and women. What is it about the colon that seems to attract cancer? To answer…
What Is Nilotinib?
Nilotinib (brand name Tasigna) is an oral medication used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) which has the Philadelphia chromosome. It may be used both in initial cases of chronic phase CML as well as in accelerated and chronic phase CML that has not responded to imatinib. Nilotinib is a Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor and…
Dasatinib
Dasatinib (brand name Sprycel) is a a tyrosine-kinase inhibitor medication used to treat certain cases of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Specifically it is used to treat cases that are Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+). Dasatinib was approved for medical use in the United States and in the European Union in 2006. The…
Crizotinib
Crizotinib (trade name Xalkori) is an anti-cancer medication acting as an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and ROS1 (c-ros oncogene 1) inhibitor. It is approved for treatment of some non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) in the US and other countries. Mechanism Crizotinib has an aminopyridine structure1, and functions as a protein kinase inhibitor by competitive binding…
Erlotinib
Erlotinib (trade name name Tarceva), is a medication used to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and pancreatic cancer. Specifically it is used for NSCLC with mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) — either an exon 19 deletion (del19) or exon 21 (L858R) substitution mutation — which has spread to other parts of…
Increased Antibiotics Use May Predispose to Parkinson’s Disease
Higher exposure to commonly used oral antibiotics is linked to an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent study by researchers from the Helsinki University Hospital. “The link between antibiotic exposure and Parkinson’s disease fits the current view that in a significant proportion of patients the pathology of Parkinson’s may originate in the…