Experimental and clinical pharmacology: Antineoplastic antibodies - Clinical applications

Trastuzumab and rituximab are genetically engineered antibodies which are now available for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma respectively. The adverse effects of these drugs are mild compared with conventional chemotherapy, but they require intravenous infusion in a supervised setting. Trastuzumab and rituximab are most effective when given with chemotherapy rather than as a substitute for standard therapies. Such combination therapy offers incremental but significant clinical improvements. The challenge remains to identify optimal antibody dosing schedules and the cancer subtypes which best respond to these treatments.