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Development of a Targeted Treatment for Cancer

The Example of C225 (Cetuximab)

  • Chapter
Molecular Targeting in Oncology

Part of the book series: Cancer Drug Discovery and Development ((CDD&D))

Summary

This is a review of the discovery and development of C225/Cetuximab, a novel monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatment for cancer. Cetuximab was the first anticancer agent that successfully targeted a receptor for a growth factor and a protein tyrosine kinase. Blocking the signaling activity of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor represented a new targeted approach to cancer therapy. Preclinical studies with human cancer xenografts suggested that C225 worked best in combination with chemotherapy or radiation. Many possible mechanisms of action have been uncovered, including inhibition of each of the six characteristics of a cancer cell described by Hanahan and Weinberg (1). The research on C225 over a period of two decades has involved dozens of academic collaborations, numerous grants from the National Cancer Institute, and the work of four pharmaceutical/biotech companies. There was a setback in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review process, but approval for clinical use in advanced refractory colorectal cancer was obtained in 2004. Much additional research is needed (and is ongoing) to discover markers that predict clinical responsiveness and to determine how and for whom to use this therapy most effectively.

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Authors
  1. John Mendelsohn MD
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Surgical Oncology, Columbia University, New York, NY

    Howard L. Kaufman

  2. Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Weill Medical College Cornell University, New York, NY

    Scott Wadler

  3. Boston University Medical Campus Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA

    Karen Antman

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© 2008 Humana Press

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Mendelsohn, J. (2008). Development of a Targeted Treatment for Cancer. In: Kaufman, H.L., Wadler, S., Antman, K. (eds) Molecular Targeting in Oncology. Cancer Drug Discovery and Development. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-337-0_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-337-0_23

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-577-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-337-0

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