Dasatinib (BMS-354825) Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Suppresses Invasion and Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells

Abstract
Purpose: Epithelial tumors, including non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), present clinical challenges. One potential target for systemic therapy is Src family nonreceptor tyrosine kinases, which are overexpressed in these tumors and induce pleiotropic effects, including increased proliferation, enhanced survival, stimulation of angiogenesis, and changes in motility. Dasatinib (BMS-354825), an ATP-competitive, small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor, suppresses the activity of these kinases at subnanomolar concentrations. Therefore, we tested the antitumor effects of this inhibitor in vitro to determine whether in vivo analyses were warranted.