Progress on the molecular targeted therapy in esophageal cancer

Abstract

Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer worldwide and one of the most common malignant tumors in China. Despite the continuous improvement in the methods of comprehensive treatment such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the prognosis and five-year survival rate of patients with esophageal cancer remain poor. Targeted therapy for esophageal cancer inhibits the proliferation and migration of esophageal cancer cells and promotes apoptosis by regulating related signaling pathways. Up to now, a variety of molecular targets and related regulatory mechanisms of esophageal cancer have been discovered, and a variety of targeted therapeutic drugs have been designed, some of which have achieved certain effects in clinical trials. At present, targeted molecular therapeutic targets such as HER-2, VEGFR, EGFR and other targeted therapeutic drugs(monoclonal antibodies and tyrosinase inhibitors) have achieved clinical effects in esophageal cancer treatments. Preliminary progress have been made in the study of some key kinases, such as such as mTOR, AXL, C-MET, AURKA, etc, in various signaling pathways, and the development of the relevant targeted therapeutic agents for esophageal cancer. Meanwhile, esophageal cancer immunotherapy targeting PD-1 shows good prospects, and the immunotherapy drugs, such as Pembrolizumab, have achieved good therapeutic effects. Additionally, new targets for esophageal cancer, such as MMP-9 and COX-2, have been found to be potential targets for esophageal cancer treatments. Key words: Esophageal cancer; Molecular targets; Targeted therapy; Signaling pathways