Overcoming drug resistance in lung cancer

Anticancer drugs have been explored by means of random screening and demonstrated to be active against not only hematologic malignancies but also same solid tumors. Recent progress in the field of molecular biology has identified many new molecular targets for anticancer drugs. In this review, for example, signal-transduction pathways, which are influenced by newer agents like the taxanes (paclitaxel [Taxol] and docetaxel [Taxotere]) and the protein kinase C activator gnidimacrin, are evaluated. Efforts under way to integrate these new compounds into clinical trials are discussed.