UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Ireland;
Clin Chem. 2013 Oct;59(10):1447-56. doi: 10.1373/clinchem.2012.200477. Epub 2013 May 8.
Companion biomarkers are biomarkers that are used in combination with specific therapies and that prospectively help predict likely response or severe toxicity. In this article we review the role of companion biomarkers in guiding treatment in patients with cancer.
In addition to the established companion biomarkers such as estrogen receptors and HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) in breast cancer, several new companion biomarkers have become available in recent years. These include v-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) mutations for the selection of patients with advanced colorectal cancer who are unlikely to benefit from anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibodies (cetuximab or panitumumab), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations for selecting patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (gefitinib or erlotinib), v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF) mutations for selecting patients with advanced melanoma for treatment with anti-BRAF agents (vemurafenib and dabrafenib), and anaplastic lymphoma receptor tyrosine kinase (ALK) translocations for identifying patients with NSCLC likely to benefit from crizotinib.
The availability of companion biomarkers should improve drug efficacy, decrease toxicity, and lead to a more individualized approach to cancer treatment.
伴随生物标志物是与特定疗法联合使用的生物标志物，前瞻性地有助于预测可能的反应或严重毒性。在本文中，我们回顾了伴随生物标志物在指导癌症患者治疗中的作用。
除了在乳腺癌中已经确立的伴随生物标志物，如雌激素受体和人表皮生长因子受体 2（HER2）之外，近年来还出现了一些新的伴随生物标志物。这些包括 KRAS 突变用于选择不太可能从抗表皮生长因子受体抗体（西妥昔单抗或帕尼单抗）中获益的晚期结直肠癌患者，EGFR 突变用于选择晚期非小细胞肺癌（NSCLC）患者接受酪氨酸激酶抑制剂（吉非替尼或厄洛替尼）治疗，BRAF 突变用于选择晚期黑色素瘤患者接受抗 BRAF 药物（vemurafenib 和 dabrafenib）治疗，以及间变性淋巴瘤受体酪氨酸激酶（ALK）易位用于确定可能受益于克唑替尼的 NSCLC 患者。
伴随生物标志物的出现应提高药物疗效，降低毒性，并导致更个体化的癌症治疗方法。
