Drug Evaluation

Ramucirumab: targeting angiogenesis in the treatment of gastric cancer

Elizabeth C Smyth

*Author for correspondence:

E-mail Address: elizabeth.smyth@rmh.nhs.uk

Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Royal Marsden Hospital, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT, UK

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Noelia Tarazona

Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Royal Marsden Hospital, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT, UK

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Ian Chau

Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Royal Marsden Hospital, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT, UK

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Published Online:12 Dec 2014https://doi.org/10.2217/imt.14.85

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Abstract

Gastroesophageal cancer is responsible for over 1 million deaths annually worldwide; for patients with advanced disease treatment options are limited. Angiogenesis is an attractive therapeutic target that has been successfully exploited in other cancers. Ramucirumab, a fully humanized monoclonal antibody targeting VEGFR-2 has demonstrated efficacy as a single agent and in combination with paclitaxel in two large randomized trials (REGARD and RAINBOW) for the treatment of advanced previously treated gastroesophageal cancer. In combination with paclitaxel chemotherapy ramucirumab treated patients demonstrated increased rates of neutropenia, and ramucirumab is also associated with hypertension consistent with other antiangiogenic agents. Ramucirumab has been US FDA approved for patients with advanced gastroesophageal cancer who have progressed during or after treatment with fluoropyrimidine- or platinum-containing chemotherapy.

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Published online 12 December 2014

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Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors acknowledge support from the NIHR RM/ICR Biomedical Research Centre. N Tarazona acknowledges support from an ESMO Translational Fellowship. I Chau's conflicts are as follows: Advisory board and consultancy: Bristol Myers Squibb, Roche, Sanofi Oncology, Merck Serono, Eli-Lilly, Novartis and Gilead Science; honorarium: Sanofi-Oncology, Eli-Lilly, Taiho; research funding: Sanofi-Oncology, Roche, Novartis and Merck-Serono. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

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