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Vol.42 No.7 contents | Japanese/English |
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Are the Analyses of Molecular Markers Such as p53 Useful in Practice?
Con: Yuichiro Ohe11Division of Internal Medicine, National Cancer Center Hospital, Japan.
The analyses of molecular markers are potentially useful as a prognostic factor, for sensitivity tests of anticancer drugs and for diagnosis. There are many reports that examine the relation between molecular markers and the prognosis of lung cancer. However, statistically significant prognostic factors are not always clinically useful prognostic factors. Clinically useful prognostic factor such as stage and performance status should show distinct differences in survival. A small difference in survival defined by only meta-analysis is useless as a prognostic factor even if it is statistically significant. There are many reports that the sensitivity of anticancer drugs depends on the status of molecular markers. However, a randomized clinical trial is essential to prove that individual chemotherapy depending on the status of molecular markers is superior than empirical chemotherapy. Recently, target-based drugs have been developed and molecular markers are increasingly viewed as a target of these drugs. Gefenitib, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is very promising drugs for lung cancer. At present the relationship between the expression of EGFR and the antitumor response of gefenitib is not clear. The development of molecular markers to detect the antitumor response of gefenitib is not only clinically but also economically important, thus, it is expected that a marker will be developed in the near future.
key words: Lung cancer, Molecular marker, Prognostic factor, Gefenitib, Target-based drug
JJLC 42 (7): 758-762, 2002
