Erlotinib
Prevents phosphorylation of EGFR tyrosine kinase receptor
EGFR activates P13K, which leads to cell cycle progression via communication with mTOR
Crizotinib
Helps to treat EML4-ALK mutations in lung cancer
Mutation is present in about 5% of lung cancers
Cancer is usually an adenocarcinoma
Cetuximab
Prevents ligand binding to the EGFR tyrosine kinase receptor, which is the gateway to a bunch of different signaling pathways that result in increased cell proliferation, decreased apoptosis, increased invasion and metastasis, or increased angiogenesis.
Glioma: definition and graded severity
These are the most common kind of brain neoplasm
They are derived from glial cells
Grades I-II are benign.
Grades III-IV are malignant
Grade V is glioblastoma
Glioblastoma
A grade V glioma
Bevacizumab
Used to treat glioblastomas
Sequesters VEGF-A and prevents VEGRF-2 activation. In short, it prevents ligand-binding to the VEGFR2 tyrosine kinase receptor. This effectively inhibits the Ras and P13K pathways, both of which lead to cell proliferation and mobility via transcription, protein synthesis, division, and migration.
Sunitinib
Inhibits the VEGF tyrosine kinase receptor
Median duration of response is about 10 months
Tamoxifen
This blocks the estrogen receptor. Estrogen can initiate nuclear genomic responses, but in cancer cells, signal cross-talk between it and various tyrosine kinase receptors can lead to inappropriate cell proliferation.
This drug has a 50% response rate and >12 month median response duration in women with metastatic breast cancer.
Everolimus added to tamoxifen
This combination delayed metastatic breast cancer progression by 4 months
Trastuzumab (Herceptin)
34% improvement in overall survival in adjuvant setting for HER-2-positive breast cancer
Enzalutamide
This is an androgen receptor blockade
Survival rate improved by five months in castrate resistant cancer, which is a cancer that progresses despite markedly suppressed testosterone levels
Vemurafenib
A BRAF inhibitor that fights against BRAF mutations
Vismodegib
This is a hedgehog inhibitor that shows 43% response in locally advanced basal cell skin cancers