Cancer treatments : old and new approaches

Following a review of the epidemiology of cancer and its direct relationship with carcinogens such as tobacco, the history of the discovery of the first anti-tumor drugs was outlined. Mustard-gas-type molecules used in low doses were among the first therapeutic agents to combat cancers after the Second World War (as in the case of BCNU for the treatment of lung cancer). The discovery and mechanism of action of cisplatin were presented. A review of Pierre Potier's two discoveries, navelbine and taxotere, showed how the search for new antitumor drugs is based on a certain empiricism. It should be noted, however, that this type of research, based on the use of animal models, has provided us with an important therapeutic arsenal of low-cost molecules. Developments in molecular biology and genetics since the 1980s and 1990s have given rise to new therapies based essentially on monoclonal antibodies. The example of avastin, an antibody targeting a vascular endothelial growth factor, was mentioned. However, these new therapies, adapted to "personalized medicine", are very costly, and survival is sometimes prolonged by no more than a few months. Recent advances in the immunological approach were also discussed.