New candidate therapeutic agents for endometrial cancer: potential for clinical practice (review)

Oncol Rep. 2013 Mar;29(3):855-60. doi: 10.3892/or.2013.2221. Epub 2013 Jan 3.

Abstract

Cases of endometrial cancer have increased in recent years, but the prognosis of patients with this disease has also been improved by combined modality therapy with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, the development of new therapy is required from the perspectives of conservation of fertility and efficacy for recurrent and intractable cancer. New candidate therapeutic agents for endometrial cancer include fourth-generation progestins for inhibition of growth and differentiation of endometrial glands; metformin for reduction of hTERT expression in the endometrium and inhibition of the mTOR pathway by activation of AMPK, with consequent inhibition of the cell cycle; mTOR inhibitors for supressing growth of cancer cells by G1 cell cycle arrest; microRNAs involved in the molecular mechanisms of oncogenesis and progression; and HDAC inhibitors that block the growth of cancer cells by transcriptional elevation of tumor-suppressor genes, cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis. In this study, we review the background and early clinical evidence for these agents as new therapeutic candidates for endometrial cancer.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / pharmacology
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / therapeutic use
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / therapeutic use*
  • Endometrial Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Endometrial Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Metformin / pharmacology
  • Metformin / therapeutic use
  • MicroRNAs / genetics
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism
  • Molecular Targeted Therapy
  • Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / drug therapy
  • Progestins / pharmacology
  • Progestins / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal
  • Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors
  • MicroRNAs
  • Progestins
  • Metformin