Tyrosine kinase inhibitors and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 positive breast cancer

The body of evidence investigating human epidermal growth factor receptor-2(HER2)directed therapy in patients with breast cancer(BC)has been growing within the last decade.Recently,the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKIs)has been of particular interest in the treatment of human malignancies.This literature commentary is intended to highlight the most recent findings associated with the widely-studied TKI agents and their clinical significance in improving the outcomes of HER2 positive BC.

The efficacy of tucatinib-based therapeutic approaches for HER2-positive breast cancer

Overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) occurs in approximately 15–20% of breast cancer cases. HER2 is a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family with tyrosinase kinase activity, and its overexpression is linked to poor prognosis and shorter progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Among various treatment options, HER2-targeting monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have mostly been applied in recent decades to treat HER2-positive (HER2^(+)) breast cancer patients. Although positive clinical outcomes were documented in both advanced disease and neoadjuvant settings, the development of resistance mechanisms to such approaches has been one of the major challenges with the continuous usage of these drugs. In addition, patients who experience disease progression after treatment with multiple HER2-targeted therapies often have limited treatment options. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved a new TKI (i.e., tucatinib) for use in combination with immunotherapy and/or chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of advanced-stage/metastatic HER2^(+) breast cancer. This review highlights recent updates on the efficacy of tucatinib-based therapeutic approaches in experimental models as well as in the clinical settings of HER2^(+) breast cancer.

Exploiting the relevance of CA 19-9 in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC)is currently the fourth most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.It has a poor prognosis and remains a difficulty to treat malignancy.Over the past several decades,significant efforts have been directed towards developing new approaches to enhance the efficacy of therapeutic regimens for PDAC treatment.In recent years,the measurement of serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9(CA 19-9)has become one of the most validated and extensively used tumour biomarkers for PDAC.In particular,serum CA 19-9 levels have been explored as a validated tool to predict either the signs of disease progression or the response to treatment.However,despite its clinical relevance,the implications on diagnosis or accurately predicting tumour resectability,and monitoring disease symptoms in PDAC patients remains limited.This current review highlights the recent updates on the applicability of CA 19-9,its exploitation,and challenges in predicting the treatment efficacy and responses in PDAC patients.