Lecture 14: Targeted therapies I Flashcards
Treatments for cancer
- From 1960s, drug treatments focused on
arresting cell growth (chemotherapy) - Targeted approach began with hormone
therapy - Molecular targeted therapy era started in
late 1990s
Radiotherapy
- Pioneered by Marie Curie in 1900s
- Exposure to ionizing radiation
- Causes extensive cellular damage, formation of free radicals
- 1 Gray causes damage to >1000 bases in DNA, ~100 SSBs and ~40 DSBs
- Approaches:
- External beam radiotherapy (XRT)
- Internal radiotherapy (Brachytherapy/ seeded)
- Radio-isotope therapy (eg Iodine -131 for thyroid cancer)
- Drawbacks
- Non-specificity
- Requires carefully controlled administration
- Unwanted Side effects
Types of
chemotherapy
- Alkylating agents
- Anti-metabolites
- Mitotic inhibitors
- Topoisomerase inhibitors
- Anti-tumour antibiotics
Targeted therapies in cancer
- Three key strategies for targeted therapies against cancer:
- Monoclonal antibodies
- Small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors
- Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs)
- First successes in hematological cancers
- Rituximab and imatinib
Targeted therapy mechanisms
- Receptor
activation - Signalling
transduction
Targeted therapy mechanisms
* Monoclonal antibodies:
- Bind to the receptor extracellular
domain - Inhibit pathway activation
- Receptor internalisation
- Antibody-dependent cellular
cytotoxicity
Targeted therapy mechanisms
* Small molecule TKIs:
- Bind to the receptor intracellular
domain - Inhibit pathway activation
Targeted therapy mechanisms
* Antibody-drug conjugates:
- Bind to the receptor extracellular
domain - Inhibit pathway activation
- Receptor internalisation
- Payload delivery
- Antibody-dependent cellular
cytotoxicity
Strengths and weaknesses of anti receptor antibodies vs. low molecular weight tyrosine kinase inhibitors as anti cancer agents
Small molecule: Target- tyrosine kinase domain, strong specificity, binding- most are rapidly reversible, oral daily, distribution in tissues more complete, toxicity- rash, diarrhaea, pulmonary, antibosy- dependent cellular toxixity- no
Antibody: Target- receptor ectodomain, stronger specificity, binding0 receptor internalised, only slowly regenerated, dosing- intravenous, weekly, distribution- less complete, toxicity- rash, allergy, antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity - possibly
The role of HER family in cancer
- Receptor tyrosine kinases
- Over-expressed in numerous
cancer types - EGFR most notably involved in
lung, head and neck, colorectal
cancers - HER2 is over-expressed in
several cancer types but most
notably in breast cancer
HER family activation
- PI3K pathway
- MAPK pathway
Numerous strategies for
targeting the HER family
Monoclonal antibodies
* Antibody-drug conjugates
* Small molecule tyrosine
kinase inhibitors
Approved HER2-targeted TKIs
Lapatinib, Neratinib, Tucatinib
Lapatinib
− Dual HER2/EGFR TKI
− Reversible inhibitor
− First HER2-targeted TKI
FDA-approved
− Approved in combination
with capecitabine in
HER2+ BC and with
letrozole in HER2+ HR+
BC
Neratinib
- Pan-HER TKI
- Irreversible inhibitor
- Approved in earlystage (single agent)
and metastatic
(+capecitabine) HER2+
BC