Notch and Wnt inhibitors as potential new drugs for intestinal neoplastic disease.

TY - JOUR

T1 - Notch and Wnt inhibitors as potential new drugs for intestinal neoplastic disease.

AU - Es, J.H. van

AU - Clevers, J.C.

N1 - doi: 10.1016/j.molmed.2005.09.008

PY - 2005

Y1 - 2005

N2 - Colorectal cancer is a major cause of death in the western world. Recent advances in treatment comprise variations on the classical themes of surgical resection combined with chemotherapy using cytotoxic drugs and radiation therapy. Because this therapy is only moderately successful, novel approaches to the treatment of colorectal cancer are required. Our rapidly increasing knowledge of molecular signalling pathways that are deregulated in colorectal cancer might provide a platform from which to develop new rational cancer therapies. Here, we give an update on the roles of the Wnt and Notch signalling pathways in the self renewal of the intestinal epithelium and the consequences of Wnt deregulation in colorectal cancer. We focus on the potential of recently identified small-molecule inhibitors of the Wnt pathway and gamma-secretase inhibitors of the Notch pathway as novel colon cancer therapeutics.

AB - Colorectal cancer is a major cause of death in the western world. Recent advances in treatment comprise variations on the classical themes of surgical resection combined with chemotherapy using cytotoxic drugs and radiation therapy. Because this therapy is only moderately successful, novel approaches to the treatment of colorectal cancer are required. Our rapidly increasing knowledge of molecular signalling pathways that are deregulated in colorectal cancer might provide a platform from which to develop new rational cancer therapies. Here, we give an update on the roles of the Wnt and Notch signalling pathways in the self renewal of the intestinal epithelium and the consequences of Wnt deregulation in colorectal cancer. We focus on the potential of recently identified small-molecule inhibitors of the Wnt pathway and gamma-secretase inhibitors of the Notch pathway as novel colon cancer therapeutics.

M3 - Article

SN - 1471-4914

VL - 11

SP - 496

EP - 502

JO - Trends in Molecular Medicine

JF - Trends in Molecular Medicine

ER -