Ramucirumab: targeting angiogenesis in the treatment of gastric cancer.

Gastroesophageal cancer is responsible for over 1 million deaths annually worldwide; for patients with advanced disease treatment options are limited. Angiogenesis is an attractive therapeutic target that has been successfully exploited in other cancers. Ramucirumab, a fully humanized monoclonal antibody targeting VEGFR-2 has demonstrated efficacy as a single agent and in combination with paclitaxel in two large randomized trials (REGARD and RAINBOW) for the treatment of advanced previously treated gastroesophageal cancer. In combination with paclitaxel chemotherapy ramucirumab treated patients demonstrated increased rates of neutropenia, and ramucirumab is also associated with hypertension consistent with other antiangiogenic agents. Ramucirumab has been US FDA approved for patients with advanced gastroesophageal cancer who have progressed during or after treatment with fluoropyrimidine- or platinum-containing chemotherapy.