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Review
. 2015 Jul 28:11:1123-32.
doi: 10.2147/TCRM.S71045. eCollection 2015.

Critical evaluation of ramucirumab in the treatment of advanced gastric and gastroesophageal cancers

Hesham ElHalawani  1 , Omar Abdel-Rahman  1
Affiliations
Review

Critical evaluation of ramucirumab in the treatment of advanced gastric and gastroesophageal cancers

Hesham ElHalawani et al. Ther Clin Risk Manag. .

Abstract

Gastric (GC) and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancers are two global health problems with a relatively high mortality, particularly in the advanced stage. Inhibition of angiogenesis is now contemplated as a classic treatment preference for myriad tumor types encompassing renal cell carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer, glioblastoma, and ovarian cancer, among others. Bevacizumab and ramucirumab have been widely investigated in GC and GEJ cancer, with some controversy about their therapeutic role. Ramucirumab is a monoclonal antibody for vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2, with demonstrated activity both as a monotherapy and as a part of combination strategy in the management of advanced GC/GEJ cancer. In this review article, we present a critical evaluation of the preclinical and clinical data underlying the use of this drug in this indication. Moreover, we provide a spotlight on the future perspectives in systemic therapy for advanced GC/GEJ cancer.

Keywords: gastric cancer; gastroesophageal cancer; ramucirumab.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Basic mechanism of action of ramucirumab. Note: A–D refer to different ligands for VEGFRs. Abbreviations: VEGFR, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor; PIGF, placental growth factor; KDR: kinase insert domain receptor.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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