title: HER2 therapies and gastric cancer: a step forward.
abstract: Gastric cancer usually is diagnosed in advanced stages and thus current medical practice affords limited therapeutic options. However, recent studies established the role of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in clinical management. Trastuzumab, an anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody, acquired a main role in advanced gastric cancer harboring HER2 overexpression and/or amplification improving survival to 17.1 mo according to trastuzumab for gastric cancer phase III trial results. Also, new promising drugs, such as c-Met inhibitors, are in development and assessment for this setting. Certainly, novel drugs will emerge in the next feel years for help oncologists improve clinical management of advanced gastric cancer providing higher survival and quality of life. In this mini-review we will discuss some issues in this regard and provide an actual overview of this setting.
authors.affiliation: Ramon Andrade de Mello, António Araújo, Department of Medical Oncology, Gastrointestinal Unit, Portuguese Oncology Institute, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ramon Andrade
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: de Mello
authors.forename: Andrea Marin
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.forename: António
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Araújo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human
keywords: Gastric cancer; Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2; Lapatinib; Pertuzumab; Trastuzumab; c-Met