Triple therapy to target tumours

摘要

Using several concurrent approaches to treat a single disease is not a novel concept anymore. When treating some of the most common illnesses affecting people today, the best outcomes are often achieved with more than one therapy or medication, especially when those therapies have different mechanisms of action. For instance, treatment for hypertension frequently starts with a diuretic to decrease the fluid volume in the blood stream, and so lower the arterial pressure. If blood pressure remains uncontrolled, a beta-blocker may be added to the regimen. This lowers the blood's force as it is pumped through the vessels. Along with this, an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor may be prescribed to dilate the arteries. Similarly, controlling hyperglycemia in diabetic patients often requires combining one medication to stimulate the pancreas to release more insulin with another medication to prevent the liver from releasing stored sugar. This approach of targeting different aspects of a disease with different drugs often succeeds because the actions of one agent complement, or even enhance, the actions of the second or third.