Drug combination and repurposing for cancer therapy: the example of breast cancer

Abstract

Cancer is a set of extremely complex diseases, which are increasingly prominent today, as it affects and kills millions of people worldwide, being the subject of intense study both in its pathophysiology and therapy. Especially in women, breast cancer is still a cancer with a high incidence and mortality. Even though mortality rates for this type of cancer have declined in recent years, it remains challenging at the treatment level, especially the metastatic type. Due to all the impact on health, cancer therapy is the subject of costly and intense research. To enrich this therapy, as well as decrease its underlying high associated costs, drug repurposing and drug combinations are strategies that have been increasingly studied and addressed. As the name implies, drug repurposing presupposes giving new purposes to agents which, in this case, are approved for the therapy of other diseases (for example, cardiovascular or metabolic diseases), but are not approved for cancer therapy. Therefore, a better knowledge of these therapeutic modalities for breast cancer therapy is crucial for improved therapy. In this particular review, we will discuss some relevant aspects of cancer and, particularly, breast cancer and its therapy. Also, drug combination and repurposing will be highlighted, together with relevant examples. Despite some limitations that need to be overcome, these methodologies are extremely important and advantageous in combating several current problems of cancer therapy, namely in terms of costs and resistance to current therapeutic modalities. These approaches will be explored with a special focus on breast cancer.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Cancer; Drug combination; Drug repurposing.

Figure 1

Potential paths of drug repositioning. New indications for existing drugs can come from various processes, since serendipirous observations, until more rational.