IMR Press / FBL / Volume 12 / Issue 2 / DOI: 10.2741/2098

Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark (FBL) is published by IMR Press from Volume 26 Issue 5 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Frontiers in Bioscience.

Article
Cetuximab is an active treatment of metastatic and chemorefractory thymoma
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1 Department of Molecular and Clinical Endocrinology and Oncology, “Federico II” University, Naples, Italy
2 Department of Pathology, Regina Elena Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
3 Diagnostic Imaging and Radiotherapy Department, “Federico II” University, Naples, Italy
4 Experimental Pharmacology Unit, Department of Experimental Oncology, National Institute of Tumours, Naples, Italy
Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed) 2007, 12(2), 757–761; https://doi.org/10.2741/2098
Published: 1 January 2007
Abstract

Advanced chemorefractory thymic epithelial tumors still represent a challenge in clinical oncology. A rationale-based therapeutic approach targeting a key pathway should represent the ideal solution in a neoplasm that can over-express Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) in the epithelial component. On the basis of these considerations, two patients with metastatic heavily pretreated disease were evaluated for EGFR expression in the primitive tumor, being considered this data as a basis for an anti EGFR treatment with the monoclonal antibody cetuximab which targets EGFR. A strong EGFR expression was revealed by immunohistochemistry in the two cases considered, thus the patients received cetuximab and reported a partial response as assessed by Computed Tomography (CT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and fused PET-CT after three months of therapy. Therefore, both patients are still on therapy. This preliminary experience suggests that cetuximab may be a useful therapeutic choice in advanced pre-treated thymic tumors.

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