Use of Cetuximab for Unresectable or Metastatic Esophageal and Gastric Cancer
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2010-09-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Purpose: There remains a great need for novel therapeutic agents and treatment strategies for
advanced esophagogastric cancer. Preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated increased
EGFR expression in a significant proportion of both esophageal and gastric carcinomas.
Inactivation of EGFR through use of a monoclonal antibody in preclinical models has resulted
in inhibition of tumor growth. Agents designed to block the EGFR pathway have demonstrated
disease control among previously treated patients with metastatic esophageal and gastric
cancer. The proposed mechanism of action for cetuximab is its ability to effectively disrupt
EGFR-mediated signal transduction pathways that ultimately leads to halting cell cycle
progression, induces apoptosis, and also inhibits processes important for tumor growth, such
as cell invasion and angiogenesis.
Phase:
Phase 2
Details
Lead Sponsor:
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Collaborators:
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Bristol-Myers Squibb Massachusetts General Hospital