DNA methyltransferase inhibitors in oncology: clinical progress, limitations and future directions - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #cancer treatment
- #epigenetic therapy
- #DNMT inhibitors
- DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTis) like azacitidine and decitabine are key epigenetic therapies in oncology.
- DNMTis reverse DNA hypermethylation, restoring tumor suppressor pathways, inducing differentiation, and enhancing immunogenicity.
- Monotherapy with DNMTis shows limited efficacy in solid tumors but works well in hematologic malignancies.
- Combining DNMTis with other therapies (e.g., BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax) improves outcomes and is now a standard treatment.
- Emerging dual-epigenetic strategies, such as DNMTi and HDACi combinations, show promise in hormone-negative cancers.
- Future directions include optimizing dosing, combinatorial regimens, and biomarker-guided patient selection.
- Research is needed to improve efficacy in solid tumors and develop next-generation DNMTis.