title: The therapeutic potential of targeting the EGFR family in epithelial ovarian cancer.
abstract: The epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) family of receptor tyrosine kinases has been reported to have an active role in a number of malignancies. Amplifications and overexpression of various EGFR family members, including EGFR, Her2, and ErbB3, have been reported in epithelial ovarian cancer. Although anti-EGFR-targeted therapy has shown limited clinical activity in ovarian cancer to date, a recent report suggests that activation of ErbB3, one of the members of the EGFR family, may support the growth and proliferation of ovarian cancer cells and that ErbB3 may therefore serve as a potential therapeutic target in this disease. Here, we review the EGFR family and the clinical experience with anti-EGFR family member-directed therapies in ovarian cancer to date.
authors.affiliation: Novartis Oncology Translational Research, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000077216:Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005810:Multigene Family / Q000502:physiology; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D020893:Receptor, ErbB-3 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D066247:Receptor, ErbB-4; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D066246:ErbB Receptors; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D020893:Receptor, ErbB-3; D066247:Receptor, ErbB-4; C512478:EGFR protein, human; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human; C587689:ERBB4 protein, human