title: Effective therapeutic targeting of the overexpressed HER-2 receptor in a highly metastatic orthotopic model of esophageal carcinoma.
abstract: This study aimed to determine the targeted efficacy of trastuzumab (Herceptin) on human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2)-overexpressing metastatic esophageal cancer in an orthotopic mouse model. HER-2 overexpression and amplification of human esophageal primary and metastatic tumors were shown with HER-2-fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis and HER-2 immunostaining. Following orthotopic implantation with the HER-2-overexpressing OE19 human esophageal cancer cell line, mice were treated with trastuzumab. Sequential magnetic resonance imaging was used to monitor primary tumor and metastasis during treatment. After six weeks, a significant inhibition of primary tumor development was imaged in trastuzumab-treated animals in comparison with the control group. Trastuzumab treatment also led to a reduction of lymphatic metastasis. Thus, HER-2 targeted therapy with trastuzumab resulted in a significant primary tumor growth reduction as well as a decrease of lymph node metastases in the orthotopic model of metastatic esophageal carcinoma. The results of the present study suggest the clinical use of trastuzumab for HER-2-overexpressing esophageal cancer, which is a significant fraction of the patient population. Treatment of this highly treatment-resistant disease with trastuzumab in the adjuvant setting to prevent lymph node metastasis after primary tumor resection is suggested by the data in this report.
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral, and Thoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany. sgros@uke.uni-hamburg.de
authors.forename: Stephanie J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Gros
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kurschat
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dohrmann
authors.forename: Uta
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Reichelt
authors.forename: Ana-Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Dancau
authors.forename: Kersten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peldschus
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Adam
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: Jakob R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Izbicki
authors.forename: Jussuf T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Kaifi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000517:prevention & control; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000068878:Trastuzumab; D047368:Tumor Burden / Q000187:drug effects; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D000068878:Trastuzumab