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Using advanced laboratory techniques, "humanized" monoclonal antibodies have been prepared. These products should not stimulate an immune response from the patient's body, and should remain effective. One of these products, known as Panitumumab, is now in advanced clinical trials, and should receive FDA approval for marketing soon.
Gefitinib (trade name Iressa) 2 is currently on the market to treat advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The drug is primarily used as a "second-line" treatment after several treatments with chemotherapy have failed to stop progression of the disease. Studies are currently underway to evaluate gefitinib to treat other solid tumors, such as cancers of the head and neck, breast, and colon and rectum. Again, most studies involve using gefitinib in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs. In the case of breast cancer, gefitinib appears to prolong the effectiveness of tamoxifen by blocking certain signaling pathways. Other small-molecule drugs, Erlotinib (trade name Tarceva) and Lapatinib, are in advanced clinical trials against many cancer types, and should receive marketing approval soon. Prospects How effective are the epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor drugs? It must be kept in mind that the complexity of the signaling processes allows the cancer cells to circumvent the blockage imposed by the drugs by taking other pathways downstream from the blockage. In addition, to date most applications for the drugs have been to treat patients that have already developed resistant, difficult to treat cancers. The most promising results indicate that the disease can be controlled in 40% or more of the patients, although in most cases the response rate is much less. Studies are now underway to evaluate these drugs as primary treatments against cancers. References 1. Ciardiello F and Tortora G. Anti-epidermal growth factor drugs in cancer therapy. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2002 Jun; 11 (6):755-68. 2. Herbst R. et. al. Gefitinib - a novel targeted approach to treating cancer. Nature Reviews Cancer. 2004 Dec; 4 (12): 956-965. 3. Kelley K. et. al. Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibition: Unanswered Questions and Strategies for Patient Care. Symposium held in New Orleans, LA on June 8, 2004. Medscape Continuing Medical Education. 4. Tedesco K. et. al. The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor as a Target for Gastrointestinal Cancer Therapy. Curr Treat Opinions Oncology. 2004; 5: 393-403. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Cancer Drugs that Inhibit Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors - Page 2 in Cancer Treatment is owned by . Permission to republish Cancer Drugs that Inhibit Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors - Page 2 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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