VEGF-Hemmer und EGFR-Inhibitoren: neue Wege in der Krebsbehandlung

Targeted therapies have provided the first agents that can overcome resistance to chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer and have allowed for unprecedented survival rates in lung cancer. To date, the use of the VEGF inhibitor bevacizumab and the EGFR inhibitors cetuximab, panitumumab, gefitinib and erlotinib have been explored in various clinical settings. Bevacizumab has shown promising results in the treatment of breast cancer, colorectal carcinoma and renal cell carcinoma. Cetuximab, gefitinib and erlotinib are treatment options in non-small-cell lung cancer. Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer can derive great benefit from cetuximab or panitumumab therapy. However, patient selection is essential, since individual characteristics, such as KRAS mutation status, can determine response to treatment. Experts presented the current situation at the Annual Meeting of the Austrian Society of Surgical Oncology in St. Wolfgang, Austria, in October 2009.