Imatinib mesylate enhances therapeutic effects of gemcitabine in human malignant mesothelioma xenografts.

Preliminary data suggestive of a novel translational approach to mesothelioma treatment: imatinib mesylate with gemcitabine or pemetrexed.

BACKGROUND Malignant mesothelioma is a cancer which is refractory to current treatments. Imatinib mesylate is a selective inhibitor of tyrosine kinases such as bcr-abl, c-Kit, c-Fms and platelet derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRbeta). PDGFRbeta is often overexpressed in mesothelioma cells and is a therapeutic target for imatinib in some solid tumours. A study was undertaken to assess w...

Preliminary Data Suggestive of a Novel Translational Approach to Mesothelioma Therapy: Imatinib Mesylate with Gemcitabine or Pemetrexed

Molecular impacts of rapamycin-based drug combinations: combining rapamycin with gemcitabine or imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) in a human leiomyosarcoma model.

Drug combinations may provide a therapeutic benefit in treating cancer patients. However when considering a drug combination, it is important to assess how the molecular impact of the combination relates to the effects manifested by each drug alone and whether or not it varies depending on the tumor type. In this study, we have analyzed the molecular impact on a human leiomyosarcoma cell line (...

Inhibition of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRB) using gene silencing, crenolanib besylate, or imatinib mesylate hampers the malignant phenotype of mesothelioma cell lines

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a cancer of the pleural cavity resistant to chemotherapy. The identification of novel therapeutic targets is needed to improve its poor prognosis. Following a review of literature and a screening of specimens we found that platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRB) is over-expressed, but not somatically mutated, in MPM tissues. We aimed to asce...

Imatinib mesylate efficiently achieves therapeutic intratumor concentrations in vivo but has limited activity in a xenograft model of small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE Despite recent advances in cancer therapy, long-term survival in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) remains uncommon, underscoring the need for novel therapeutic approaches. Previous studies have identified constitutive expression of the receptor tyrosine kinase, c-Kit, and its ligand, stem cell factor, in a substantial proportion of SCLC specimens. The purpose of this study was to determine...