Abstract: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a malignancy mainly affecting elderly people and is still considered an incurable disease. Despite recent advances in CLL treatment, relapse rates are high and often accompanied by the development of resistance towards conventional chemotherapy. Thus, new agents are needed for the treatment of these patients. In recent years, our understanding of the biological mechanisms driving CLL pathogenesis has considerably improved, and novel treatment strategies are arising. This review summarizes recent insights in CLL biology and describes several new agents and treatment strategies that are currently explored in pre-clinical studies and early-phase clinical trials. ... Read more

Abstract: The first descriptions of apoptosis were made over 150 years ago, although the implications for tumor development were not appreciated until the 1970s. Natural cell death is a critical part of development of multicellular organisms, and also counter-balances the cell generating effects of mitosis. Disruptions in the highly regulated apoptotic pathway can lead to disease, such as tumors, due to the accumulation of excessive numbers of cells. Restoring normal apoptosis in cancer cells is one of the current challenges of cancer research. ... Read more

Abstract: Treatments, mostly combination chemotherapies, have been remarkably effective in managing many childhood leukemia cases. However, childhood leukemia is a heterogeneous (mixed) disease originating from different cell lineages and with distinct mechanisms. Authors described hypotheses of "population mixing" and "delayed infection" as causes of childhood leukemia. ... Read more

Abstract: In general, cancer incidence increases with age. However some cancers, such as breast cancer, become indolent in the aged women due to both the "seed" (well differentiated cancer cell) and "soil" (reduced production of estrogen - growth factor for breast cancer cells) effects. Prevention and treatment of cancer in an aged population are discussed. ... Read more

Abstract: One of the major advances in cancer therapy in recent years is the targeted killing of tumor cells. ERBB receptor tyrosine kinase is expressed on many types of cancer cells and has been proven to be an effective target. ERBB targeted antibodies versus small-molecule kinase inhibitors are compared. ... Read more

Abstract: Most current drug treatments cannot cure cancer. Recent studies have demonstrated that one of the reasons is that chemoagents kill the rapidly growing cells, including cancer cells, but do little damage to non-dividing cells. Cancerous stem cells stay quiescent and escape from these chemoagents to mount a comeback at a later time. ... Read more

Abstract: Tumor cells have "learned" to reduce the expression of certain cell surface molecules to keep them off the "radar screen" of specific immune surveillance networks handled by T lymphocytes. However, natural killer (NK) cells are alarmed and activated by the low-level expression of these molecules. ... Read more

By identifying the proteins (normal or oncogenic), which participate in the development of malignant diseases, we can identify novel targeted therapies to either stabilize or treat the disease. The approach is common to all: identification of targets, establishment of models, definition of pre-requisites for clinical transfer and surrogate markers for evaluation of in vivo efficacy. We have used animal models of myeloid leukemia using a genetic approach in order to understand the biology of leukemogenesis and to develop targeted approaches to therapy. These models are now developed and are ready for testing various different therapeutic strategies. There are good molecular ... Read more

Kinases: The Target

In 1983, Alex Matter, the “Bulldozer”, was recruited as the head of the newly established Oncology Unit in Ciba-Geigy, Basel, Switzerland. At that time, cancer research programs were not taken seriously, perhaps rightfully so: No drugs for cancer worked, so the vast majority of people died. While other physician specialists cured or made patients feel better, oncologists, in trying to help patients with cancer drugs, usually made patients’ lives more miserable. With the “carpet bombing” approach, chemotherapy destroyed everything in its path, both cancerous and normal cells. Chemotherapy weakened patients and hardly improved the quality of the patients’ ... Read more

Gene therapy was dealt another setback when in early October the French and U.S. gene therapy regulators announced that they have suspended the four gene therapy clinical trials for treating the severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) syndrome (”bubble boy” disease). One of the trials was run by Dr. Alain Fischer and colleagues at the Necker Hospital for Children in Paris, France and additional two were conducted at the Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, U.S.

Since this spring, the field of gene therapy partially regained its footing after the successful treatment of SCID syndrome with gene therapy by the French group ... Read more