Precision medicine engaging nucleoside analogues: New advances to a conventional arsenal

Precision medicine (PM) is increasingly being described as a paradigm shift in our understanding of medicine and as the future of clinical practice since it promises the possibility to individualize the healthcare in order to achieve optimal treatment with minimal adversity. Advances in the fields of omics, next generation sequencing (NGS), artificial intelligence (AI) and big data have strongly augmented this approach and rendered it clinically feasible instead of relying on the conventional nosology and broad symptomatic presentations. Oncology has, so far, benefited the most from this strategy as evidenced by genetic markers and biomarkers-guided pharmacotherapeutics that have found their way into guidelines and protocols. Meanwhile, nucleoside analogues, that represent a fundamental class in solid and hematologic tumors treatment, are still far from being adequately included in this trending modality due to lacking sufficient valid clinical proofs. The well-studied drugs’ paths, however, pave the way towards this goal, hoping to transfer the hype into bedside reality.