Perspectives on novel therapies for bronchial carcinoma.

Fiona Blackhall, Pavlos I Papakotoulas, Sarah Danson, Nicholas Thatcher

Journal: Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy 2006;6(7):1157-67

PMID: 15957969

Abstract

Improvements in conventional cytotoxic treatment have probably reached a plateau for the treatment of lung cancer; therefore, new treatment strategies that are based on a better understanding of tumour biology are required. Some progress has been made for non-small cell lung cancer, in which erlotinib (Tarceva, OSI-774; Genentech), an epidermal growth factor receptor antagonist, has demonstrated a significant clinical benefit in a Phase III randomised trial, and has been licensed for second- or third-line treatment. Other therapies under investigation include angiogenesis inhibitors, COX-2 inhibitors, retinoids, farnesyl transferase inhibitors, Bcl-2 inhibitors and c-Kit antagonists. In this article the recent and ongoing Phase II and III trials of these therapies in lung cancer are summarised, and the prospects for their further clinical development are discussed.

Address: Department of Medical Oncology, Christie Hospital NHS Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK. [email protected]

DOI: 10.1517/14656566.6.7.1157