Atrasentan: A rationally designed targeted therapy for cancer

Endothelin axis deregulation triggers a series of events that ultimately activates proliferation, invasion, escape from programmed cell death, new vessel formation, abnormal osteogenesis and alteration of nociceptive stimuli. Atrasentan is a novel agent that effectively targets this pathway and is able to inhibit and/or reverse several of these events. Biologic and clinical activity in patients with prostate cancer have been demonstrated in a phase III, placebo-controlled setting by the suppression of markers of biochemical prostate cancer progression and a delay in time to disease progression. Atrasentan may represent a therapeutic option in the management of prostate and other cancers that is worthy of continued investigation.