Figure 1. Basic protocol to assess preclinical anticancer activity.

It can be used as a standalone tool to evaluate the activity of novel compounds. The tests can also be used to help validate drug candidates that have shown efficacy in other preclinical tests. The experimental treatments and the standard treatments can be single drugs or drug combinations. The crossed-out arrows can be bypassed in specific situations (e.g., when the drug does not kill cancer cells through a direct cytotoxic mechanism or when the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of the drug in rodents and humans are not similar). See text for details.