Onkologie. 2010:4(1):51-52
Pancreatic carcinoma has the poorest overall survival (OS) rate of any major cancer. The typical median OS for resectable disease is 12–22
months; for locally advanced 9–14 months; and for metastatic up to 8 months. Since 1997, when gemcitabin became the standard treatment
in metastatic settings, only insignificant progress has been seen. The combination of gemcitabin with targeted therapy, a new modality
in cancer treatment, has shown great potential.But the targeting of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFR) and epidermal growth
factor receptor I (EGFR/HER1) with monoclonal antibodies has been a failure. Erlotinib (Tarceva®) is an orally active, potent, selective
inhibitor of the EGFR/HER1 tyrosine kinase, which has been the first to show a survival benefit for patients with metastatic pancreatic
carcinoma. Our single-center experience has confirmed its tolerability, safety, and efficacy.
Published: March 1, 2010 Show citation