Course Description
Cancer is a debilitating disease that still imposes a huge health and economic burden throughout the world. The number of new cancer cases, which was recorded as about 3 million in the year 2000, is expected to be 7.1 million by the year 2020. The global cancer mortality is also projected to be doubled in the next 50 years. Such alarming statistics have revitalized our ever-lost war against cancer. Till to date, a wide variety of anticancer drugs have been developed. However, the increasing trend in chemotherapy resistance, relapse of certain cancer after primary cure and the chemotherapy-induced toxicity increase the search for new chemotherapeutics. This course has been designed to discuss about the existing cancer chemotherapeutic agents, their mechanisms of action, potential toxicity, with special focus on pathophysiologic basis of carcinogenesis. In addition, this course will cover the current advances in developing novel chemotherapeutic agents. The potential and landmark achievements in cancer gene therapy and drug development by targeting cancer stem cells will be discussed.