Novel cytotoxic agents in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women worldwide, comprising approximately 20% of all cancers. Although many advances in the treatment of this disease have been made and mortality of early breast cancer improved over the past three decades, metastatic breast cancer (MBC) remains an incurable disease. Cytotoxic chemotherapy continues to play a major role in the treatment of MBC and has been recently combined with biologic agents such as monoclonal antibodies or kinase inhibitors. Over the past decade, several novel cytotoxic chemotherapies have been evaluated in clinical trials. Encouraging results have been observed with novel anti-microtubule agents, with recent US Food and Drug Administration approval of eribulin in 2010. Other novel cytotoxic agents currently under clinical development include novel anti-microtubule drugs, platinum compounds, and anti-angiogenic agents combined with chemotherapy. Here, we review all the major novel cytotoxic agents that have undergone clinical study over the past 5 years for the treatment of MBC. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.