RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Does Erlotinib Restore Chemosensitivity to Chemotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer? A Case Series
JF Anticancer Research
JO Anticancer Res
FD International Institute of Anticancer Research
SP 1039
OP 1042
VO 31
IS 3
A1 M. WASIF SAIF
YR 2011
UL http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/31/3/1039.abstract
AB Erlotinib (Tarceva) in combination with gemcitabine is indicated for first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced, unresectable or metastatic pancreatic cancer. In preclinical models, exposure of pancreatic cancer cell lines to an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor plus gemcitabine suggested enhanced cytotoxicity of gemcitabine and induced apoptosis in tumor cells. Erlotinib inhibited gemcitabine-induced phosphorylation of EGFR, which may promote cytotoxicity from gemcitabine. The effectiveness of the combination of irinotecan and cetuximab in patients with irinotecan-refractory colon cancer tumors suggests that cetuximab may circumvent irinotecan resistance. This report describes the author's experience with the use of erlotinib in patients with pancreatic cancer and discusses the possible role of erlotinib in restoring chemosensitivity in pancreatic cancer.