[Antibody therapy in cancer]

Hirokazu Komatsu1

  • 1Department of Medical Oncology and Immunology, Nagoya City University of Medical Sciences.

Monoclonal antibody (MoAb) for cancer treatment has been greatly progressed during this decade. Six kinds of MoAbs are now in clinical use in Japan. Here we review on the development of MoAbs such as rituximab, bevacizumab and cetuximab. The characterization and the nomenclature of MoAb are also described. Panitumumab, a new MoAb targeting epithelial growth factor receptor(EGFR), and the resistance of colorectal cancer with KRAS mutation for anti-EGFR MoAbs are on recent topics. The concept of bevacizumab beyond progression (BBP) and the unfavorable results of bevacizumab in elder nonsmall cell lung carcinoma patients are so suggestive considering the strategy of the individualized cancer therapy. Finally, "drug lag" for the development of anti-cancer agents between Eastern and Western has to be discussed.

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