New directions in cancer therapy ‐ HDAC inhibitors

The HDACis (histone deacetylation inhibitors) are an active class of drugs that have been used to treat a wide variety of tumours including breast cancer, prostate cancer, multiple myeloma, thyroid cancer and Hodgkin's and non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma. One HDAC, vorinostat, has been licensed by the FDA, but more work is needed to identify and delineate the histone and nonhistone targets of these agents. In this article, Dr Steve Schey considers the place of HDACis in future cancer therapy. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.