Targeted therapies in cancer : with 25 tables

From its introduction, oncological chemotherapy has been encumbered by poor selectivity because antiproliferative drugs are often toxic not only to tumor cells but also to important populations of the body’s non-neoplastic cells. Modern targeted therapies interact with defined molecules present on cancer cells, adding increased selectivity to their toxic effects. This book presents an integrated critical view on the theories, mechanisms, problems and pitfalls of the targeted therapy approach.