Gastric Cancer (Metastatic) | Decision Base | US/EU5 | 2014
Treatment Choices Are Limited, but Oncologists’ Receptivity to Targeted Agents Presents a Lucrative Opportunity
The introduction of the HER2-targeting agent trastuzumab (Roche/Genentech/Chugai’s Herceptin) in 2010 transformed the treatment algorithm for metastatic gastric cancer, segregating the population into those patients with HER2-positive disease (HER2 overexpressers) and therefore eligible for trastuzumab treatment, and those deemed HER2-negative. Despite the entrance of Herceptin, the outlook for patients with metastatic gastric cancer is bleak, notably for those with HER2-negative disease. Several emerging therapies including agents from novel drug classes are in development for metastatic gastric cancer; and owing to the high levels of unmet need, significant clinical and commercial opportunity exists for therapies that can provide greater survival benefits than current standards of care.
