Src and Abl as Therapeutic Targets in Lung Cancer: Opportunities for Drug Repurposing

Personalized medicine has gained an important relevance over the years with the development of targeted therapies, especially in cancer, adapted to the individual molecular tumour profiles. Accordingly, drug repurposing arises as a powerful strategy to identify and use drugs already approved for other conditions, offering advantages in terms of cost, development time, and safety. Src and Abl tyrosine kinases have been investigated as potential targets in oncology, being frequently implicated in tumour development and progression by promoting cell proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of five tyrosine kinase inhibitors—saracatinib, imatinib, PP2, nilotinib and, tirbanibulin—that act on Src and/or Abl. Their mechanisms of action, original therapeutic indications, and potential for repurposing in other diseases, such as lung cancer, will be discussed. Although clinical data for these drugs in lung cancer remain limited, preclinical and clinical studies suggest promising therapeutic potential, particularly in specific molecular subtypes. Overall, this review highlights the therapeutic potential of Src and Abl inhibitors beyond their original contexts and supports their possible role in lung cancer therapy, considering the disease’s high heterogeneity and the growing applicability of personalized medicine.