Les multiples emplois de l'imatinib dans les tumeurs solides

Imatinib mesylate (IM), a selective inhibitor of tyrosine kinase, including BCR-ABL, c-Kit and PDGFR, opened considerable avenues in the field of medical oncology. The unique activity of IM in leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LMC) quickly made its use in the treatment of other tumours a possibility. However, outside a few exceptions (chordoma, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, fibromatosis, glioblastoma), IM does not effectively treat other solid tumours. Nevertheless, the concept remains a subject for future research, focused primarily on causative molecular abnormalities prior to identifying novel targeted therapeutics. The relative failure in treating non-GIST tumours demonstrates cancer's complexity. Unfortunately, the c-Kit mutation is not the universal pathway of tumorigenesis. However, tyrosine kinase will certainly continue to feed our hopes for finding new cancer treatments in the coming years.