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Metastatic gastric cancer – focus on targeted therapies

Authors Meza-Junco J, Sawyer MB

Received 7 February 2012

Accepted for publication 20 March 2012

Published 20 June 2012 Volume 2012:6 Pages 137—146

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/BTT.S23917

Review by Single anonymous peer review

Peer reviewer comments 4



Judith Meza-Junco, Michael B Sawyer

Department of Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Abstract: Gastric cancer (GC) is currently the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide; unfortunately, most patients will present with locally advanced or metastatic disease. Despite recent progress in diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, prognosis remains poor. A better understanding of GC biology and signaling pathways is expected to improve GC therapy, and the integration of targeted therapies has recently become possible and appears to be promising. This article focuses on anti-Her-2 therapy, specifically trastuzumab, as well as other epidermal growth factor receptor antagonists such as cetuximab, panitumub, matuzumab, nimotzumab, gefitinib, and erlotinib. Additionally, drugs that target angiogenesis pathways are also under investigation, particulary bevacizumab, ramucirumab, sorafenib, sunitinib, and cediranib. Other targeted agents in preclinical or early clinical development include mTOR inhibitors, anti c-MET, polo-like kinase 1 inhibitors, anti-insulin-like growth factor, anti-heat shock proteins, and small molecules targeting Hedgehog signaling.

Keywords: gastric cancer, targeted therapy, antiangiogenesis drugs, anti-EGFR drugs

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