Title:Drug Repurposing in Oncology: Current Evidence and Future Direction
Volume: 28
Issue: 11
Author(s): Zhenzhan Zhang, Jianguang Ji*Hao Liu*
Affiliation:
- Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University/Region Skåne,Sweden
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou,China
Keywords:
Drug repurposing, anti-cancer, population cohort, drug screening, organoid, future direction of cancer.
Abstract:
Background: Drug repurposing, the application of known drugs and compounds
with a primary non-oncology purpose, might be an attractive strategy to offer more effective
treatment options to cancer patients at a low cost and reduced time.
Methods: This review described a total of 10 kinds of non-oncological drugs from more than
100 mechanical studies as well as evidence from population-based studies. The future direction
of repurposed drug screening is discussed by using patient-derived tumor organoids.
Results: Many old drugs showed previously unknown effects or off-target effects and can be
intelligently applied for cancer chemoprevention and therapy. The identification of repurposed
drugs needs to combine evidence from mechanical studies and population-based studies.
Due to the heterogeneity of cancer, patient-derived tumor organoids can be used to screen
the non-oncological drugs in vitro.
Conclusion: These identified old drugs could be repurposed in oncology and might be added
as adjuvants and finally benefit patients with cancers.