Introduction to 'A multitargeted approach: clinical advances in the treatment of solid tumours'.

Although single-target agents have been shown to improve patient outcomes in certain tumour types, drug resistance often occurs due to salvage pathways that compensate for the inhibited signalling pathway. Simultaneous inhibition of individual target receptors along multiple pathways has been shown to have additive inhibitory effects on tumour growth and vasculature, and data supporting the efficacy of strategies incorporating multitargeted agents in the treatment of several tumour types have already begun to emerge in the clinical setting. This supplement provides an overview of presentations from a satellite symposium that took place at the European Society of Medical Oncology congress on 29 September 2006, entitled 'A Multitargeted Approach: Clinical Advances in the Treatment of Solid Tumours', which discusses the most recent data on multitargeted agents with a focus on sunitinib malate (Sutent, Pfizer Inc.).