Gastric cancer and cancer of the gastro-oesophageal junction(GOJ) are the 4th most common cancer diagnoses worldwide with regional differences in incidence rates.The treatment of gastric and GOJ cancers is complex and...Gastric cancer and cancer of the gastro-oesophageal junction(GOJ) are the 4th most common cancer diagnoses worldwide with regional differences in incidence rates.The treatment of gastric and GOJ cancers is complex and requires multimodality treatment including chemotherapy treatment,surgery,and radiotherapy.During the past decade considerable improvements were achieved by advanced surgical techniques,tailored chemotherapies/radiotherapy and technical innovations in clinical diagnostics.In patients with advanced or metastatic gastric/GOJ cancer systemic chemotherapy with fluoropyrimidine/platinum-based regimens(+/-human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 antibody) is the mainstay of treatment.Despite these improvements,the clinical outcome for patients with advanced or metastatic disease is generally poor with 5-year survival rates ranging between 5%-15%.These poor survival rates may to some extent be related that standard therapies beyond first-line therapies have never been defined.Considering that this patient population is often not fit enough to receive further treatments there is an increasing body of evidence from phase-2 studies that in fact second-line therapies may have a positive impact in terms of overall survival.Moreover two recently published phase-3 studies support the use of second-line chemotherapy.A South Korean study compared either,irinotecan or docetaxel with best supportive care and a German study compared irinotecan with best supportive care-both studies met their primary endpoint overall survival.In this "Field of Vision" article,we review these recently published phase-3 studies and put them into the context of clinical prognostic factors helping to guide treatment decisions in patients who most likely benefit.展开更多
Activation of the phosphoinositide 3 kinase(PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR) pathway is common in breast cancer. There is preclinical data to support inhibition of the pathway, and phase Ⅰ to Ⅲ trials i...Activation of the phosphoinositide 3 kinase(PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR) pathway is common in breast cancer. There is preclinical data to support inhibition of the pathway, and phase Ⅰ to Ⅲ trials involving inhibitors of the pathway have been or are being conducted in solid tumors and breast cancer. Everolimus, an mTOR inhibitor, is currently approved for the treatment of hormone receptor(HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)-negative breast cancer. In this review, we summarise the efficacy and toxicity findings from the randomised clinical trials, with simplified guidelines on the management of potential adverse effects. Education of healthcare professionals and patients is critical for safety and compliance. While there is some clinical evidence of activity of mTOR inhibition in HR-positive and HER2-positive breast cancers, the benefits may be more pronounced in selected subsets rather than in the overall population. Further development of predictive biomarkers will be useful in the selection of patients who will benefit from inhibition of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR(PAM) pathway.展开更多
One of the most important pathways in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) is the epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) pathway. This pathway affects several crucial processes in tumor development and progression,includ...One of the most important pathways in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) is the epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) pathway. This pathway affects several crucial processes in tumor development and progression,including tumor cell proliferation,apoptosis regulation,angiogenesis,and metastatic invasion.Targeting EGFR is currently being intensely explored.We are witnessing the development of a number of potential molecular-inhibiting treatments for application in clinical oncology.In the last decade,the tyrosine kinase(TK) domain of the EGFR was identified in NSCLC patients,and it has responded very well with a dramatic clinical improvement to TK inhibitors such are gefitinib and erlotinib.Unfortunately,there were primary and/or secondary resistance to these treatments,as shown by clinical trials.Subsequent molecular biology studies provided some explanations for the drug resistance phenomenon.The molecular mechanisms of resistance need to be clarified.An in-depth understanding of these targeted-therapy resistance may help us explore new strategies for overcoming or reversing the resistance to these inhibitors for the future of NSCLC treatment.展开更多
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal disease in most patients, due to its aggressive course and a lack of effective systemic therapies for advanced disease. Surgical resection and liver transplantation remain ...Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal disease in most patients, due to its aggressive course and a lack of effective systemic therapies for advanced disease. Surgical resection and liver transplantation remain the only curative options for a small subset of patients. Few patients with HCC are diagnosed early enough to be eli- gible for curative treatment. Angiogenesis inhibition is a natural therapeutic target for all solid tumors, but par- ticularly for the highly vascularized HCC tumors. With the approval of the targeted agent sorafenib, there are now additional options for patients with HCC. Although sorafenib does produce some improvement in survival in HCC patients, the responses are not durable. In addi- tion, there are significant dermatologic, gastrointestinal, and metabolic toxicities, and, as importantly, there is still limited knowledge of its usefulness in special sub- populations with HCC. Other angiogenesis inhibitors are in development to treat HCC both in the first-line set- ting and for use following sorafenib failure; the furthest in development is brivanib, a dual fibroblast growth factor pathway and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitor. Additional agents with antiangiogenic properties also in phase IT and Ⅲ development for the treatment of patients with HCC include bevacizumab, ramucirumab, ABT-869, everolimus and ARQ 197.展开更多
文摘Gastric cancer and cancer of the gastro-oesophageal junction(GOJ) are the 4th most common cancer diagnoses worldwide with regional differences in incidence rates.The treatment of gastric and GOJ cancers is complex and requires multimodality treatment including chemotherapy treatment,surgery,and radiotherapy.During the past decade considerable improvements were achieved by advanced surgical techniques,tailored chemotherapies/radiotherapy and technical innovations in clinical diagnostics.In patients with advanced or metastatic gastric/GOJ cancer systemic chemotherapy with fluoropyrimidine/platinum-based regimens(+/-human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 antibody) is the mainstay of treatment.Despite these improvements,the clinical outcome for patients with advanced or metastatic disease is generally poor with 5-year survival rates ranging between 5%-15%.These poor survival rates may to some extent be related that standard therapies beyond first-line therapies have never been defined.Considering that this patient population is often not fit enough to receive further treatments there is an increasing body of evidence from phase-2 studies that in fact second-line therapies may have a positive impact in terms of overall survival.Moreover two recently published phase-3 studies support the use of second-line chemotherapy.A South Korean study compared either,irinotecan or docetaxel with best supportive care and a German study compared irinotecan with best supportive care-both studies met their primary endpoint overall survival.In this "Field of Vision" article,we review these recently published phase-3 studies and put them into the context of clinical prognostic factors helping to guide treatment decisions in patients who most likely benefit.
文摘Activation of the phosphoinositide 3 kinase(PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR) pathway is common in breast cancer. There is preclinical data to support inhibition of the pathway, and phase Ⅰ to Ⅲ trials involving inhibitors of the pathway have been or are being conducted in solid tumors and breast cancer. Everolimus, an mTOR inhibitor, is currently approved for the treatment of hormone receptor(HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)-negative breast cancer. In this review, we summarise the efficacy and toxicity findings from the randomised clinical trials, with simplified guidelines on the management of potential adverse effects. Education of healthcare professionals and patients is critical for safety and compliance. While there is some clinical evidence of activity of mTOR inhibition in HR-positive and HER2-positive breast cancers, the benefits may be more pronounced in selected subsets rather than in the overall population. Further development of predictive biomarkers will be useful in the selection of patients who will benefit from inhibition of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR(PAM) pathway.
文摘One of the most important pathways in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) is the epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) pathway. This pathway affects several crucial processes in tumor development and progression,including tumor cell proliferation,apoptosis regulation,angiogenesis,and metastatic invasion.Targeting EGFR is currently being intensely explored.We are witnessing the development of a number of potential molecular-inhibiting treatments for application in clinical oncology.In the last decade,the tyrosine kinase(TK) domain of the EGFR was identified in NSCLC patients,and it has responded very well with a dramatic clinical improvement to TK inhibitors such are gefitinib and erlotinib.Unfortunately,there were primary and/or secondary resistance to these treatments,as shown by clinical trials.Subsequent molecular biology studies provided some explanations for the drug resistance phenomenon.The molecular mechanisms of resistance need to be clarified.An in-depth understanding of these targeted-therapy resistance may help us explore new strategies for overcoming or reversing the resistance to these inhibitors for the future of NSCLC treatment.
文摘Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal disease in most patients, due to its aggressive course and a lack of effective systemic therapies for advanced disease. Surgical resection and liver transplantation remain the only curative options for a small subset of patients. Few patients with HCC are diagnosed early enough to be eli- gible for curative treatment. Angiogenesis inhibition is a natural therapeutic target for all solid tumors, but par- ticularly for the highly vascularized HCC tumors. With the approval of the targeted agent sorafenib, there are now additional options for patients with HCC. Although sorafenib does produce some improvement in survival in HCC patients, the responses are not durable. In addi- tion, there are significant dermatologic, gastrointestinal, and metabolic toxicities, and, as importantly, there is still limited knowledge of its usefulness in special sub- populations with HCC. Other angiogenesis inhibitors are in development to treat HCC both in the first-line set- ting and for use following sorafenib failure; the furthest in development is brivanib, a dual fibroblast growth factor pathway and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitor. Additional agents with antiangiogenic properties also in phase IT and Ⅲ development for the treatment of patients with HCC include bevacizumab, ramucirumab, ABT-869, everolimus and ARQ 197.