[Significance of gefitinib combined with immunotherapy in tumor-bearing mice].
Gefitinib (brand name: Iressa) is a drug approved for molecule-targeting therapy in lung carcinoma patients. There are still many unresolved problems concerning the safety and mechanism of action of this drug. Based on the expectation that this drug combined with immunotherapy would be highly effective, we recently conducted an experiment in tumor-bearing mice. In this experiment, however, the tumor was not significantly reduced in size by this combined therapy. However, since the tumor in this animal model was EGFR positive and because tumor growth tended to be suppressed in mice with higher immune activity, it seems likely that additional studies of this therapy will contribute to identifying the optimum drugs to be combined with gefitinib and the optimum method of dosing that will lead to satisfactory efficacy and safety of gefitinib combined with immunotherapy.
Maruyama
Shoji
S
Institute of Immunotherapy for Cancer, Kinki University.
Yagita
Akikuni
A
Sukegawa
Yasushi
Y
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018827:Carcinoma, Lewis Lung / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000032:analysis / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D000077156:Gefitinib; D007167:Immunotherapy; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051379:Mice; D011799:Quinazolines / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D011799:Quinazolines; D018664:Interleukin-12; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D000077156:Gefitinib