Significance of the c-erbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases in metastatic cancer and their potential as targets for immunotherapy.

Overexpression of members of the type 1 receptor tyrosine kinase (c-erbB) family has been documented in many types of cancer. In the case of c-erbB1 (epidermal growth factor receptor) and c-erbB2, this has been closely linked with poor prognosis, and in particular is apparently associated with an invasive/metastatic phenotype and relative insensitivity to conventional therapies. The cell surface location of these molecules renders them attractive targets for a variety of immunotherapeutic strategies, some of which are showing promise in preclinical and early clinical trials.