Rossi A, Maione P, Colantuoni G, Ferrara C, Rossi E, Guerriero C, Nicolella D, Falanga M, Palazzolo G, Gridelli C. Division of Medical Oncology, "S. G. Moscati" Hospital, Avellino, Italy.
Recent developments of targeted therapies in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.
Non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a lethal disease with poor prognosis. The main percentage of NSCLC patients are diagnosed to have an advanced disease. Standard treatment, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, has apparently reached a plateau of effectiveness in improving survival of advanced NSCLC patients. Hence, considerable efforts have started to be made in order to identify novel targets for new biological agents which may safely and effectively be administered to advanced NSCLC patients. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors play an essential role in tumour proliferation. Approaches targeting EGFR and VEGF include monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and small molecules inhibiting the corresponding receptor-tyrosine kinase activity. Erlotinib is a small molecule inhibitor of EGFR tyrosine-kinase which has brought significant improvements in median survival, quality of life and related symptoms, in an unselected population of advanced NSCLC patients in the second- or third-line setting. Bevacizumab, an anti-VEGF recombinant humanized mAb, is the first targeted agent which, when combined with chemotherapy, reported superior efficacy versus chemotherapy alone in the treatment of advanced NSCLC. ZD6474, a small molecule targeting VEGF tyrosine-kinase activity, showing early evidence of antitumour activity and the excellent toxicity profile, seems to be a promising agent for the treatment of advanced NSCLC. This review shows the latest and the future developments of erlotinib, bevacizumab and ZD6474 in the treatment of advanced NSCLC patients.
Biologics 2008 Dec 2 (4): 813-21 Lorusso V. Oncologic Institute, Vito Fazzi Hospital, Lecce, Italy.
Bevacizumab in the treatment of HER2-negative breast cancer.
Angiogenesis has a clear and definite role in the breast cancer progression process, making antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapies an attractive option for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Bevacizumab is a potent humanized monoclonal antibody to VEGF, which has shown regression of breast cancer in preclinical and clinical setting, either alone or in combination with cytotoxic treatment. Additionally, bevacizumab potentially increases the effectiveness of other anticancer therapies through the normalization of tumor vasculature, reduction of intratumoral pressure and improved tumor oxygenation. Phase 1/2 trials showed significant antitumor effects of bevacizumab in MBC, in particular in tumors not expressing HER2 receptor. A first phase 3 trial in pre-treated MBC patients showed better response rates but no survival benefit from the addition of bevacizumab to capecitabine. However, in two phase 2 trial in first-line setting in patients with MBC, bevacizumab improved progression-free survival in combination with weekly paclitaxel in comparison to paclitaxel alone or in combination with 3-weekly docetaxel in comparison with docetaxel alone, respectively. Bevacizumab in combination with taxanes seems to be a highly effective first-line treatment for MBC patients. Future research will investigate bevacizumab in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting, where even more potential may exist for these patients.
You are located on secure website. All information you send and receive are secured use industrial SSL protocol.
Security protocols are used to communicate securely with sites where sensitive data is involved.
My Basket
