Outcome of early clinical trials of the combination of hydroxychloroquine with chemotherapy in cancer

Abstract

The premise of inhibiting autophagy to overcome resistance to chemotherapy has been investigated in 5 clinical phase I trials combining hydroxychloroquine with vorinostat, temsirolimus, temozolomide, or bortezomib. These studies have provided a number of insights relating to the tolerability of the combination treatments. In addition, these studies should provide guidance in the planning and design of future trials to directly determine whether the strategy of autophagy inhibition could prove useful in the treatment of various malignancies. © 2014 Landes Bioscience.