Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0027627 (metastases)
103,950 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Erlotinib [Tarceva, R 1415, CP 358774, OSI 774, NSC 718781] is a small molecular, once-a-day, orally active inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase. This profile has been selected from R&D Insight, a pharmaceutical intelligence database produced by Adis International Ltd. It is one of a class of anticancer drugs that target the underlying molecular mechanism involving oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes, which play critical roles in the conversion of normal cells into a cancerous state. Erlotinib is undergoing clinical development as an oral tablet by an alliance between OSI Pharmaceuticals, Genentech and Roche. OSI Pharmaceuticals, Genentech and Roche have entered an agreement for the global development and commercialisation of erlotinib. Under the terms of the agreement, Genentech and OSI will share costs and profit-taking for commercialising the product in the US. The overall costs of the development programme will be shared equally between the three companies. OSI will keep certain co-promotion rights in the US and Genentech will be responsible for commercialising the drug in the US should the FDA approve it. Roche will take the responsibility for obtaining regulatory approval and commercialisation in territories outside the US and pay royalties to OSI on net sales of the product in these markets. Initially, the alliance partners intend to pursue development of erlotinib in all the major tumour markets, particularly for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in which the group will focus on front-line combination approaches. Pfizer and OSI Pharmaceuticals in the US were developing erlotinib as a treatment for solid tumours. However, in June 2000, Pfizer merged with Warner-Lambert. The resulting company retained the Pfizer name, but in order to meet Federal Trade Commission requirements for the merger Pfizer granted all developmental and marketing rights for erlotinib to OSI Pharmaceuticals. This divestiture of the erlotinib portfolio, in effect, gave OSI a royalty-free, cashless license to the drug. In November 2001, OSI announced a partnership deal with HopeLink Corporation, a healthcare information technology company with an Internet-based Clinical Trial Service. The partnership will enable OSI to heighten awareness of its clinical trials and shorten patient accrual times. It will initially involve the presentation of the OSI phase III pancreatic and refractory NSCLC trials via Hopelink's Syndicated Network. In addition to this the two companies have also agreed to develop additional products and service together that will increase the efficiency of the clinical trial process, increase awareness of clinical trials, and enhance patient accrual techniques. OSI has also entered into an agreement with Therradex, a contract research organisation (CRO) to monitor phase II trials for erlotinib in NSCLC, ovarian and head and neck cancer. In addition, OSI entered into an agreement in 2001 with the US NCI. The NCI is conducting trials in a variety of different cancers. A phase III front-line NSCLC trial (TRIBUTE) of erlotinib in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel was initiated in July 2001. The multicentre study is being conducted by Genentech in 1000 patients in the US, and will determine whether the addition of erlotinib to carboplatin chemotherapy is able to improve the duration of patient survival. Enrolment for this trial was completed in July 2002. An independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) has since reviewed the data from the trial and concluded that there are no safety or efficacy concerns that would warrant stopping the trial. However, the DMC did recommend stopping erlotinib at the time of disease progression or at the start of second-line therapy. A front-line phase III study of erlotinib in NSCLC (TALENT) in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy was initiated by Roche in Europe in November 2001. Enrolment into this study was completed in September 2002, with approximately 1200 patients. Roche has confirmed that the study woulde has confirmed that the study would be included in the alliance's potential regulatory submission for front-line therapy in chemotherapy-naive patients in the US. Data from the trial is expected in the second half of 2003. OSI has opened two additional phase Ib studies to examine the potential of erlotinib in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel in one study and gemcitabine and cisplatin in the other. A phase I study of erlotinib is also being conducted in patients with lung cancer in Japan. OSI received fast-track status from the US FDA in September 2002 for erlotinib as a second- or third-line treatment for patients with incurable stage IIIB/IV NSCLC who have failed to respond to standard therapy for advanced metastatic disease. Fast-track status was also granted to erlotinib in May 2002 for the treatment of chemotherapy-naive stage III/IV NSCLC. There are important differences between phase III studies of erlotinib and AstraZeneca's direct competitor drug gefitinib, which recently returned disappointing results in a frontline NSCLC trial with combination chemotherapy. In assessing the survival benefit of erlotinib with chemotherapy, the dose employed of 150 mg/day is the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), whereas the gefitinib trials were conducted at relatively lower doses than the MTD determined in earlier phase I studies. OSI is also investigating the survival benefit of erlotinib in a phase III study in refractory NSCLC patients, a key registration study. Patient size of the NSCLC trial was increased from 330 to 700 as OSI shifted emphasis from its pancreatic cancer trials. Phase II development for this indication was initiated based on data from a phase I trial, which had completed patient enrolment by April 2003. OSI and the US NCI signed a collaborative research agreement in 2001. The NCI is developing erlotinib through its CTEP programme for multiple tumour types including epithelial malignancies, gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts, gynaecological malignancies and brain tumours. OSI supplies erlotinib for the trial, but the NCI provides the funding and manages the trials. A series of approximately ten phase Ib trials are already underway or were set to start in the US in 2001 to determine safety, tolerance and pharmacokinetic parameters of erlotinib in combination with a number of commonly used chemotherapeutic agents. The Wall Street Journal reported on 25 February 2002, that analysts at Robert Stephens, New York, USA, have forecast Tarceva to reach annual sales of >$US1 billion. Other analysts, at Merrill Lynch & Co., have predicted that products belonging to the same class as Tarceva could reach combined worldwide sales of $US6 billion to $US10 billion annually. In an earlier report by the Financial Times on 10 May 2001, it was stated that approximately 12 new anticancer agents are expected to be approved by the FDA through to the end of 2002. These agents, of which Tarceva is one, were said to have the potential to generate total sales of $US2.6 billion. Goldman Sachs have forecast Tarceva to reach peak sales of $US250 million for the indication of head and neck cancer alone. Previously in January 2001, the Financial Times claimed that OSI Pharmaceuticals, one of the development partners for Tarceva, stood to gain $US187 million pending regulatory approval. Genentech and Roche were each said to be buying $US35 million worth of OSI's stock and paying upfront fees. Tarceva is facing competition by two similar compounds, developed by AstraZeneca and ImClone, respectively.
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PMID:Erlotinib: CP 358774, NSC 718781, OSI 774, R 1415. 1284 90

Lung cancer is primarily diagnosed during the advanced stage of disease, at which stage treatment options are severely limited. It is primarily for this reason that lung cancer carries a higher mortality rate than breast, prostate, and colon cancers combined. Traditional treatments for metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) include chemotherapy; however, this approach, although the standard of care, is toxic and nonspecific, thereby rendering treatment inaccessible to those with a poor performance status. Alternatively, there are recent emerging treatment options that involve inhibiting specific molecular targets. This includes the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is known to potentiate tumor cell proliferation and metastases, while also attenuating apoptosis. This target is especially important because approximately 85% of all lung cancers are categorized as NSCLC, which expresses EGFR at a rate of 40%-85%. In addition, newly developed EGFR-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been used in clinical trials with encouraging results. To date, gefitinib and erlotinib (OSI-774; Tarceva) are the most studied of the EGFR TKIs for the treatment of NSCLC. In this article we have focused on 3 recently completed trials involving erlotinib as monotherapy (BR.21 study) or in combination with standard chemotherapeutic regimens (TALENT and TRIBUTE trials) for the treatment of NSCLC. When used in combination with carboplatin/paclitaxel (TALENT) or cisplatin/gemcitabine (TRIBUTE), erlotinib was found not to improve survival. These results contrast with what would be predicted from preclinical data outcomes, but they complement recent phase III reports involving similar combinations with gefitinib. Subset analysis of the TRIBUTE trial revealed that never-smokers had the greatest survival benefit. Conversely, erlotinib has exhibited overall survival benefits when used as monotherapy (BR.21 study). In addition, recent information involving mutations within the kinase domain of the EGFR may be implicated in the response seen with EGFR TKIs in recent trials.
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PMID:Select clinical trials of erlotinib (OSI-774) in non-small-cell lung cancer with emphasis on phase III outcomes. 1563 54

Renal cell carcinoma accounts for approximately 3% of adult malignancies and 90%-95% of neoplasms arising from the kidney. It is characterized by a lack of early warning signs, diverse clinical manifestations, resistance to radiation and chemotherapy, and infrequent but reproducible responses to immunotherapy with agents such as interferon alpha (IFNa) and interleukin 2 (IL-2). International studies have shown objective response rates of < 15% in patients with advanced and metastatic disease, with 5-year disease-specific survival ranging between 0-20%. Considering these poor outcomes, renal cancers' very vascular nature and overexpression of receptors for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), various biologic and angio-suppressive therapies are being evaluated in clinical trials. Promising results in terms of overall response rate and median time to progression have been reported especially as second-line therapy following cytokine failure, a setting where no effective systemic therapy has been recognized (SU011248, Bay 43-9006, Bevacizumab and Erlotinib). While confirmatory studies are ongoing, other novel treatments in first line trials (CCI-779, Infliximab, PTK-787, and Thalidomide) have drawn international attention. This review, analyzing basic translational research principles, will summarize the available data on the use of these new therapeutic approaches in RCC.
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PMID:New treatments for metastatic kidney cancer. 1578 Jan 70

Studies of cell models and profiling of clinical breast cancer material to reveal the mechanisms of resistance to anti-oestrogen therapy, and to tamoxifen in particular, have reported that this phenomenon can be associated with increased expression and signalling through erbB Type 1 growth factor receptors, notably the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and HER2. Further molecular studies have revealed an intricate interlinking between such growth factor receptor pathways and oestrogen receptor (ER) signalling. Inhibition of receptor tyrosine kinase activity involved in the EGFR signalling cascade forms the basis for the use of EGFR specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors exemplified by gefitinib (ZD1839, Iressa) and erlotinib (OSI-774, Tarceva). Such agents have proved promising in pre-clinical studies and are currently in clinical trials in breast cancer, where gefitinib has been studied more extensively to date. Here, we present an overview of the current development of gefitinib in clinical breast cancer. This includes results from our clinical breast cancer trial 1839IL/0057 that demonstrate the efficacy of gefitinib within ER-positive, tamoxifen-resistant patients with locally advanced/metastatic disease, where parallel decreases in EGFR signal transduction and the Ki67 (MIB1) proliferation marker can be detected as predicted from model system studies. We also consider trials examining combination treatment with gefitinib and anti-hormonal strategies that will begin to address the clinically important question of whether gefitinib can delay/prevent onset of anti-hormone resistance.
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PMID:Overview of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in clinical breast cancer. 1611 90

Anti-EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) therapies, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and monoclonal antibodies, demonstrate activity in a variety of tumor types. While both inhibit the EGFR pathway, they act via different mechanisms. Monoclonal antibodies bind to the extracellular domain of EGFR, preventing ligand binding and interrupting the signaling cascade. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors bind to the intracellular domain of EGFR and inhibit the downstream effects of EGFR ligand binding. Both categories of agents have been evaluated in a variety of clinical settings and tumor types, including colorectal cancer, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Phase II/III trials in patients with previously treated or untreated metastatic colorectal cancer, including those with documented refractory disease, demonstrate activity of the monoclonal antibody cetuximab (Erbitux) as a single agent or in combination with both irinotecan (Camptosar)- and oxaliplatin (Eloxatin)-based chemotherapy. Activity of cetuximab added to chemotherapy in patients who previously progressed on the same regimen suggests an ability to overcome chemotherapy resistance in some patients. In NSCLC, phase II trials of the TKI gefitinib (Iressa) plus combination chemotherapy showed impressive activity with considerable toxicity. Large, randomized, phase II trials (IDEAL 1 and 2) reported modest activity of gefitinib in NSCLC; however, phase III trials (INTACT 1 and 2)failed to demonstrate a benefit to adding gefitinib to chemotherapy. A similar trend was noted in trials of erlotinib (Tarceva) (TALENT and TRIBUTE). Phase II/III trials have shown promising activity of cetuximab in SCCHN, generating significantly improved survival in combination with radiotherapy over radiotherapy alone in locally advanced disease and significantly improved response rates in combination with chemotherapy over chemotherapy alone in recurrent/metastatic disease, with little enhancement of toxicity profiles. Limited clinical experience with TKIs in SCCHN suggests similar degrees of single-agent activity and dermatologic toxicities. Levels of EGFR expression and the presence of EGFR mutations correlate with responsiveness to TKI therapy, while it remains unclear whether a relationship exists between level of EGFR expression and cetuximab efficacy in colorectal cancer. Anti-EGFR therapies are good candidates for combination with other treatment modalities, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, due to their tolerable safety profile and nonoverlapping toxicities. In addition, these agents represent important treatment options in patients ineligible for chemotherapy due to refractory or resistant disease. Ongoing trials continue to investigate both the monoclonal antibodies and TKIs in various treatment settings.
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PMID:Anti-EGFR therapies: clinical experience in colorectal, lung, and head and neck cancers. 1673 79

The expression of EGFR, HER2 and HER3 receptors were analyzed in immunohistochemical preparations from primary esophageal tumours and corresponding lymph node metastases. The goal was to evaluate whether any of these receptors are suitable as targets for radionuclide based imaging and therapy. The receptor expressions were evaluated in parallel samples, primary tumour and metastasis, from each patient (n=51). The majority of the cases were esophageal squamous cell carcinomas, ESCC (n=40). The HercepTest scoring was used for the analysis of both HER2 and EGFR expression (0, 1+, 2+ or 3+). HER3 was only evaluated as negative, weak or strong staining. EGFR overexpression (2+/3+) was found in 67.5% (27/40) of both the ESCC primary tumours and the corresponding lymph node metastases. There were only a few changes in these EGFR-scores: two cases from 2+/3+ to 0/1+ when the primary tumours were compared to the corresponding metastases and 2 changes the other way around. HER2 overexpression (2+/3+) was found in only 3 of the primary ESCC tumours and 2 of the lymph node metastases. EGFR and HER2 stainings were found mainly in the cell membranes. The HER3 staining (weak or strong) was mainly cytoplasmic and granular and was observed in about half (20/39) of the cases, for both the ESCC primary tumours and the corresponding lymph node metastases. It was concluded that ESCC lymph node metastases generally have a strong expression of EGFR in their cell membranes and to the same extent as in the primary tumours. The stability in EGFR expression is encouraging for efforts to develop radionuclide based EGFR imaging agents. It is also possible that EGFR targeting agents (e.g. Iressa, Tarceva, Erbitux or radiolabelled antibodies) can be applied for therapy of ESCC.
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PMID:EGFR, HER2 and HER3 expression in esophageal primary tumours and corresponding metastases. 1767 74

Inoperable pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a dilemma that oncologists frequently encounter. Only 15% to 20% of patients are diagnosed when cancer of the pancreas is still surgically resectable. However, pancreaticoduodenectomy is the only curative option for this disease and should be offered to all patients who meet resection criteria and do not have significant comorbidities. For inoperable pancreatic cancer, the goals of treatment are to palliate symptoms and prolong life. Improved survival in locally advanced disease has been demonstrated with chemoradiation plus fluorouracil or with gemcitabine (Gemzar) alone. In metastatic disease, single-agent gemcitabine has been associated with improvement in symptoms and survival. Trials combining various chemotherapeutic agents with gemcitabine have not had a significant impact on overall survival, although meta-analyses suggest a small benefit. The targeted agent erlotinib (Tarceva) has shown a modest improvement in overall survival in combination with gemcitabine. This combination is another option for first-line therapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic disease. Despite these recent advances, survival for patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer continues to be poor. Future investigations need to focus on understanding the molecular nature of this malignancy, with the goal of developing interventions based on this knowledge.
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PMID:Inoperable pancreatic cancer: standard of care. 1817 46

The expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) was analyzed in immunohistochemical preparations from 46 primary parotid mucoepidermoid carcinomas (MEC). For the cases with lymph node metastases, the receptor expressions were investigated in parallel samples, primary tumour and metastasis, from each patient (n=11). The goal was to evaluate whether any of these receptors are suitable as a target for radionuclide-based imaging and therapy. The HercepTest scoring was used for the analysis of both HER2 and EGFR expression (0, 1+, 2+ or 3+). EGFR overexpression (2+/3+) was found in 67.4% (31/46) of the primary tumours. Out of the 11 cases with evaluated paired samples, EGFR overexpression was observed in 81.8% (9/11) of the primary tumours and 72.7% (8/11) of the corresponding lymph node metastases. There was only one patient who had EGFR overexpression in the primary tumours which changed to negative in the lymph node metastases but no changes occurred reciprocally. The HER2 overexpression was only found in 4.3% (2/46) of the primary mucoepidermoid carcinoma and none of the lymph node metastases (0/11). EGFR and HER2 stainings were mainly found in the cell membranes. It was concluded that the majority of parotid mucoepidermoid carcinomas express EGFR strongly in their cell membranes and that lymph node metastases generally express EGFR to approximately the same extent as in the primary tumours. The stability in the EGFR expression is encouraging in the effort to develop radionuclide-based EGFR imaging agents. It is also possible that EGFR targeting agents (e.g. Iressa, Tarceva, Erbitux or radiolabelled antibodies) can be applied for the therapy of mucoepidermoid carcinoma.
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PMID:Epidermal growth factor receptor and human epidermal growth receptor 2 expression in parotid mucoepidermoid carcinoma: possible implications for targeted therapy. 1820 92

A non-smoker young man presented to the ophthalmologist with loss of vision in his left eye. Clinical work-up revealed metastatic deposits in left retina. Broadened workup also showed metastatic disease in the skull and brain. The search for the primary concluded on the histopathological evidence of Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma (NSCLC) in the upper lobe of the left lung. After the diagnosis and ascertaining disease extent, localized radiotherapy to whole skull and retina was given, followed by conventional chemotherapy (Gemcitabine, Carboplatin). The results of radiation and chemotherapy were not satisfactory, therefore, patient was placed on a new agent (tyrosine kinase inhibitor) Erlotinib (150 mg per day orally in a single dose). The response was evaluated using clinical and radiological parameters and was found to be satisfactory.
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PMID:Unilateral blindness as a presenting symptom of lung cancer treated with erlotinib. 1845 5

A 58-year-old, non-smoking female of Philippine origin presented with painful thoracic and neck nodal relapse of lung adenocarcinoma almost 5 years after left pneumonectomy for stage II non-small-cell lung cancer. She refused conventional chemotherapy or radiation because of toxicity concerns, but agreed to oral erlotinib 150 mg/day. Within weeks, her pain was well controlled, with softening of palpable neck nodes. Repeat scans after 7 months on erlotinib showed partial response of thoracic disease and nodal metastases. This response was maintained for 11 months on erlotinib, with symptomatic progression at the original sites of relapse by 15 months. Erlotinib was well tolerated, with grade 2-3 rash, and grade 1 dry cough and diarrhoea being the only significant toxicities. Importantly, the patient was able to maintain daily activities throughout erlotinib therapy.
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PMID:Prolonged response to first-line erlotinib for advanced lung adenocarcinoma. 1898 43


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