Targeted therapy in soft tissue sarcoma—a novel direction in therapeutics

Inherent or acquired resistance to chemotherapy is a significant problem in the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas. Over the past decade, the discovery and characterization of aberrant signaling pathways and the identification of agents that can specifically target them has led to their introduction as novel treatment options in soft-tissue sarcomas (STS). Trials of monotherapy with targeted agents have shown results below expectations often because of activation of alternative signaling pathways. This review examines the potential for tactical combinations of these drugs to overcome this problem.