Integrins in Cancer: Novel Therapeutic Approaches

The integrins are a family of transmembrane receptors important for the cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions that relate to processes of cell adhesion, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, and survival. The acquisition of integrins such as α_vβ₃ has been correlated to the process of tumor progression in multiple tissues, suggesting that approaches effectively targeting the integrins might inhibit or reverse progression. This supplement to ONCOLOGY, based on the symposium presented to the 31st Congress of the European Society of Medical Oncology on September 29, 2006, in Istanbul, updates information upon the current understanding of the integrins.

—John M. Kirkwood, MD

Disclosures:

Dr. Kirkwood has acted as a consultant for MedImmune.