ReviewMolecular oncology2012
Discovery of small molecule cancer drugs: successes, challenges and opportunities.
Review in Molecular oncology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 219 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
219 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 579 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pluripotent stem cells: induction and self-renewal.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2018Pooled it
- Impact of Precision Medicine in Diverse Cancers: A Meta-Analysis of Phase II Clinical Trials.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2015Pooled it
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- Article
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- Prediction of cancer cell line-specific synergistic drug combinations based on multi-omics data.PeerJ · 2025Article
- Preparation and characterization of a GSH-responsive drug-loaded polymer nanoparticle/silk fibroin composite hydrogel.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2025Article
- Harnessing the multi-targeted potential of rehmanniae radix natural products against renal fibrosis: a mechanistic review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
- Targeting the Molecules in EMT: A Potential Therapeutic Opportunity in Breast Cancer.Current molecular medicine · 2025Review
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159 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The discovery and development of small molecule cancer drugs has been revolutionised over the last decade. Most notably, we have moved from a one-size-fits-all approach that emphasized cytotoxic chemotherapy to a personalised medicine strategy that focuses on the discovery and development of molecularly targeted drugs that exploit the particular genetic addictions, dependencies and vulnerabilities of cancer cells. These exploitable characteristics are increasingly being revealed by our expanding understanding of the abnormal biology and genetics of cancer cells, accelerated by cancer genome sequencing and other high-throughput genome-wide campaigns, including functional screens using RNA interference. In this review we provide an overview of contemporary approaches to the discovery of small molecule cancer drugs, highlighting successes, current challenges and future opportunities. We focus in particular on four key steps: Target validation and selection; chemical hit and lead generation; lead optimization to identify a clinical drug candidate; and finally hypothesis-driven, biomarker-led clinical trials. Although all of these steps are critical, we view target validation and selection and the conduct of biology-directed clinical trials as especially important areas upon which to focus to speed progress from gene to drug and to reduce the unacceptably high attrition rate during clinical development. Other challenges include expanding the envelope of druggability for less tractable targets, understanding and overcoming drug resistance, and designing intelligent and effective drug combinations. We discuss not only scientific and technical challenges, but also the assessment and mitigation of risks as well as organizational, cultural and funding problems for cancer drug discovery and development, together with solutions to overcome the 'Valley of Death' between basic research and approved medicines. We envisage a future in which addressing these challenges will enhance our rapid progress towards truly personalised medicine for cancer patients.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.