Expert opinion on biological therapy
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The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays an important role in the carcinogenesis of many human malignancies and is therefore an attractive target against which anticancer therapy may be effective. At present, there are two ways in which this may be achieved clinically: antibodies against EGFR and inhibitors of the EGFR tyrosine kinase. ⋯ Efficacy data for these agents in various human malignancies is presented. Various other agents that are in the early stages of development at present have also been mentioned.
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Paul Erhlich conceived of antibody-based immunotherapy in the nineteenth century. Rituximab, which is a chimeric monoclonal antibody produced by recombinant technology, became the first monoclonal antibody to be approved for haematological malignancies by the US Food and Drug Administration. ⋯ Radioimmunoconjugates are an attractive therapeutic option for lymphomas due to the inherent sensitivity to radiotherapy, the fact that the local emission of ionising radiation by radiolabelled antibodies may kill cells with or without the target antigen in close proximity to the bound antibody, and penetrating radiation may obviate the problem of limited antibody penetration into bulky, poorly vascularised tumours. This paper reviews rituximab, alemtuzumab and gemtuzumab ozogamicin as monoclonal antibody therapies for leukaemias and lymphomas.