ABSTRACT
What is special about oncology drug development? Medical advancements in the past few decades have led to life expectancy increases in the world population from 47.7 years in 1950-1955 to 69.3 years in 2010-2015. As people grow older, the probability of developing cancer increases because of genetic replication errors and genetic mutations. Cancer can develop in any organ of the human body, and there are more than 200 cancer types. Some cancers (e.g., breast cancer, prostate cancer, and non-small-cell lung cancer) are common and affect a large population, whereas many other cancers (e.g., peripheral T-cell lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, and osteosarcoma) are considered rare diseases. Even after cancer is divided into many subtypes, oncology drugs generally work for only a portion of patients within each subtype. It is important to use diagnostic and predictive biomarkers to enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatment. Biomarker is an important part of oncology drug development.
