From the Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, New York, New York; Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Authors' disclosures of potential conflicts of interest are found at the end of this article.
Address reprint requests to Bruce E. Johnson, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney Street, Boston, MA 02115; e-mail: BEJohnson{at}Partners.org
Overview: The testing of potentially effective targeted agents for patients with small cell lung cancer has increased substantially in the past 5 years. The classes of targeted molecules that are undergoing evaluation include antiangiogenic agents, tyrosine and Src kinase inhibitors, recombinant molecules, bcl-2 inhibitors, and inhibitors of the sonic hedgehog signaling pathway. The class of agents that is undergoing the most extensive testing is the antiangiogenic agents, including bevacizumab, small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and thalidomide. Thalidomide combined with chemotherapy has been evaluated in large trials for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. The tyrosine and Src kinase inhibitors are being evaluated in phase I and II trials. The recombinant molecule, BB-10901, is undergoing phase II testing in patients with relapsed small cell lung cancer. The other pathways undergoing evaluation for the development of pharmacologic agents include inhibitors of bcl-2 and sonic hedgehog signaling, which are being tested in the earliest phases of clinical evaluation. Investigators are hopeful that these studies will provide new effective agents for the treatment of small cell lung cancer.
