Antibody-based therapeutics: focus on prostate cancer.

The recent clinical and commercial success of anti-cancer antibodies such as rituximab, trastuzumab, cetuximab and bevacizumab has continued to foster great interest in antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of both hematopoietic malignancies and solid tumors. Given the likely lower toxicity for antibodies which, in contrast with traditional cytotoxic small molecule drugs, target tumor cells and have a lower impact on non-malignant by-stander organs, the potential increases in efficacy associated with conjugation to radioisotopes and other cellular toxins and the ability to characterize the target with clinical laboratory diagnostics to improve the drugs clinical performance, it is anticipated that current and future antibody therapeutics will find substantial roles alone and in combination therapy strategies for the treatment of patients with cancer. A significant number of cell surface proteins, glycoproteins, receptors, enzymes and peptides have been discovered that have become targets for the treatment of advanced hormone-refractory prostate cancer. A variety of naked antibodies and antibody conjugates have currently progressed through preclinical development and are in early or more advanced stages of clinical development. Clinicians, scientists and prostate cancer patients are all keenly interested to learn whether these agents when administered alone or in combination with other hormonal-based and cytotoxic therapies will show lasting benefit for sufferers of this common disease.