100% Human Monoclonal Antibodies in Oncology: Hype or Breakthrough?

Title:100% Human Monoclonal Antibodies in Oncology: Hype or Breakthrough?

Volume: 12 Issue: 15

Author(s): Stephan Benay, Raphaelle Fanciullino, Cedric Mercier, Athanassios Iliadis, Joseph Ciccolini and Bruno Lacarelle

Affiliation:

Keywords: Panitumumab, metastatic colorectal cancer, pharmacokinetics, monoclonal antibody

Abstract: Targeted therapies have dramatically modified treatment strategies in oncology since the early 2000’s, especially for treating digestive cancers. These new biotherapies such as anti-VEGF (bevacizumab) or anti-EGFR (cetuximab) monoclonal antibodies have given oncologists new opportunities to use innovative treatment schedules or combinations with cytotoxics. Consequently, significant improvements in response rates, with trends to longer progression-free survival and/or overall survival have been achieved in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Panitumumab is a novel, 100% human, anti-EGFR1 (HER1) antibody that has been approved in late 2007 for use as monotherapy in mCRC patients resistant to standard chemotherapy, provided that their tumor express EGFR and display wild-type K-Ras status. Panitumumab has been recently further approved in combination with chemotherapy in mCRC patients. However, owing to the fact that its mechanism of action for targeting EGFR is similar to that of chimeric cetuximab, picturing the specificities in pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties of this 100% human antibody could help the oncologists to better define their strategies at the bedside.

Cite this article as:

Benay Stephan, Fanciullino Raphaelle, Mercier Cedric, Iliadis Athanassios, Ciccolini Joseph and Lacarelle Bruno, 100% Human Monoclonal Antibodies in Oncology: Hype or Breakthrough?, Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry 2012; 12 (15) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156802612803531351