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In a Major Shift, Cancer Drugs Go ‘Tissue-Agnostic’
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In a Major Shift, Cancer Drugs Go ‘Tissue-Agnostic’

Encouraged by an FDA approval, companies design cancer drugs to work in any solid tumor

Ken Garber
Science, 2017
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Scientific
  • Hot Topic

Recommendation

Ken Garber reports on a breakthrough in the treatment of cancer. He explains so-called “tissue-agnostic” drugs in thorough detail, proving his longstanding experience as a science writer. He uses complex medical terms to discuss biomedical mechanisms and drug development. However, he manages to break down the essential information for a general audience. getAbstract recommends this article to anyone interested in new developments in cancer treatment.

Take-Aways

  • Until recently, drug treatment of solid tumors depended on the tissue of origin, for example breast or prostate.
  • Novel tissue-agnostic drugs act on any tumor that presents a specific genetic marker.
  • Merck’s pembrolizumab (Keytruda) is the first FDA-approved drug for the treatment of tumors, regardless of their tissue of origin.

About the Author

Ken Garber is a science writer in Ann Arbor, Michigan with longstanding experience covering biology and medicine. He has written for Science, Nature, Nature Biotechnology and Nature Medicine. He is also a contributing correspondent for the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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