Targeted Therapy for Cancers: From Ongoing Clinical Trials to FDA-Approved Drugs

The development of targeted therapies has revolutionized cancer treatment, offering improved efficacy with reduced side effects compared with traditional chemotherapy. This review highlights the current landscape of targeted therapy in lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer, focusing on key molecular targets. Moreover, it aligns with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs and drug candidates. In lung cancer, mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene rearrangements have emerged as significant targets. FDA-approved drugs like osimertinib and crizotinib specifically inhibit these aberrant pathways, providing remarkable benefits in patients with EGFR-mutated or ALK-positive lung cancer. Colorectal cancer treatment has been shaped by targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and EGFR. Bevacizumab and cetuximab are prominent FDA-approved agents that hinder VEGF and EGFR signaling, significantly enhancing outcomes in metastatic colorectal cancer patients. In prostate cancer, androgen receptor (AR) targeting is pivotal. Drugs like enzalutamide, apalutamide, and darolutamide effectively inhibit AR signaling, demonstrating efficacy in castration-resistant prostate cancer. This review further highlights promising targets like mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET), ROS1, BRAF, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymeras (PARP) in specific cancer subsets, along with ongoing clinical trials that continue to shape the future of targeted therapy.

Automated summary

The development of targeted therapies has revolutionized cancer treatment, offering improved efficacy with reduced side effects. This review focuses on targeted therapy in lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer, highlighting key molecular targets and FDA-approved drugs. Mutations in EGFR and ALK genes are significant targets in lung cancer, with drugs like osimertinib and crizotinib inhibiting these pathways. For colorectal cancer, targeting VEGF and EGFR with drugs like bevacizumab and cetuximab significantly improves outcomes. AR targeting with drugs like enzalutamide, apalutamide, and darolutamide is pivotal in prostate cancer. The review also discusses promising targets like MET, ROS1, BRAF, and PARP, along with ongoing clinical trials.