Phosphatases as targets for cancer treatment.

Although protein kinases are the molecular targets for an increasing number of anticancer agents, there is a notable absence of drugs targeting protein phosphatases, the biochemical counterpart of the protein kinases. This absence is particularly striking because many cancer-relevant pathways are also controlled by protein phosphatases, which can function abnormally in human tumors. Several research groups are searching for drug-like inhibitors of phosphatase-based cancer targets. This review examines several protein phosphatases for which investigational anticancer agents have been identified and are being investigated.