The role of mouse models in translational cancer research: present and future directions

A major issue in the research for new anticancer therapeutics is represented by the low number of new compounds approved for clinical use in comparison to the good success rate reported in preclinical studies. This high attrition rate could be attributed to many factors including the unsatisfactory predictive value of experiments performed in animals. To this purpose, general opinions suggest that classical models as murine tumors and xenografts do not mimic the complexity of human cancer diseases and that the use and integration of different relevant mouse models could improve the efficiency of the drug development process. In this review, we overview the present state of research in the field of mouse models for cancer and describe the advantages and limitations of the different models. Finally, strategies for improving the predictive value of animal experiments will be also discussed.