Abstract
Epigenetic changes are essential for tumor development. Some of the epigenetic changes can be reversed by specific drugs. Due to the recent developments in chromatin biology, novel drugs have been identified which are directed at chromatin and associated components. Epigenetic drugs belong to a category of drugs used for treatment of specific cancers. These drugs fall into two groups: DNA methylation inhibitors and histone deacetylase inhibitors. FDA has approved seven drugs for cancer treatment. Only few epigenetics drugs work well alone in treating cancer, combinations of DNA methylation and histone deacetylation inhibitors show positive results in treating cancer. In those cases, where epigenetic drugs work, including randomized clinical trials, it is not evident that the inhibition of cancer development is by epigenetic mechanism. Role of epigenetic drugs in sensitization of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and modulation of immune system is also discussed in this article. Finally, how the epigenetic information can be applied in precision medicine is described.
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