Identifying the Patterns of Adverse Drug Responses of Cetuximab

Abstract

cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) to cancer cells. 2) Cetuximab (Erbitux TM ), a recombinant human/murine chimeric mAb, binds to the overexpressed epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or human epidermal growth factor receptor1 (HER1). It has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of colorectal cancer and locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). 3) Representing 10.2% of the newly diagnosed cancer in the world, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death. 4) SCCHN is the sixth most common cancer, and over 90% of SCCHN of upper gastro-intestinal tract have overexpressed EGFR. 2) Cetuximab when combined with radiation increased a disease control rate for colorectal cancer by 53%, and improved the median survival time from 29.3 to 49 months. 3,4) Also, other indicators demonstrated