Treatments for Gynecologic Cancer That Target Molecular Changes

Abstract

The development of chemotherapy agents that precisely target specific molecular structures in cancer cells have become a priority in oncology research. In principle, this method halts cancer cell proliferation while allowing normal function of healthy cells. These molecular-based chemotherapy agents target many types of molecules involved in the growth, spread, and survival of malignant cells. Several of these target molecules have been identified in female genital tract malignancies, and multiple agents targeted at those molecules have been developed as a treatment. This review outlines three major types of targeted agents that have clinical relevance in the treatment of gynecologic cancer. The first group of drugs inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which normally facilitates angiogenesis. The second group inhibits poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), a base-excision enzyme that repairs single-strand DNA breaks. The final category is a set of drugs that inhibit programmed-cell death protein 1, an immune checkpoint that normally prevents autoimmunity. Therapeutic benefit has been demonstrated for each of these drug types in gynecologic, and particularly ovarian, cancers. New agents, and applications for these agents have been developing at a rapid pace in each of these categories. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval has been accelerated for several of these agents in recent years, suggesting a significant change in the process by which new drugs enter the clinical armamentarium.
In short, the development of molecularly-targeted drugs for the treatment of cancer is a promising and rapidly-moving field.