Clinically Evaluated Cancer Drugs Inhibiting Redox Signaling

Significance: There are a number of redox-active anticancer agents currently in development based on the premise that altered redox homeostasis is necessary for cancer cell's survival. Recent Advances: This review focuses on the relatively few agents that target cellular redox homeostasis to have entered clinical trial as anticancer drugs. Critical Issues: The success rate of redox anticancer drugs has been disappointing compared to other classes of anticancer agents. This is due, in part, to our incomplete understanding of the functions of the redox targets in normal and cancer tissues, leading to off-target toxicities and lowtherapeutic indexes of the drugs. The field also lags behind in the use biomarkers and other means to select patients who are most likely to respond to redox-targeted therapy. Future Directions: If we wish to derive clinical benefit from agents that attack redox targets, then the future will require a more sophisticated understanding of the role of redox targets in cancer and the increased application of personalized medicine principles for their use.