Introduction: Over 90% of head and neck cancers overexpress EGFR. This correlates with advanced disease stage and worse prognosis. Strategies to inhibit the EGFR pathway have been developed over the last decade. Zalutumumab is a recent high-affinity completely human IgG1k antibody targeting EGFR.
Areas covered: The mechanism of action and data on efficacy and safety of zalutumumab in head and neck cancer.
Expert opinion: Zalutumumab has demonstrated acceptable toxicity in head and neck cancer patients, with rash being the most common adverse event. The toxicity profile makes zalutumumab an attractive option for patients who are heavily pretreated and/or have poor performance status due to concurrent co-morbidities. As the molecule is fully human, the likelihood of hypersensitivity to the drug is low. Zalutumumab may be effective at low concentrations through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Current data from Phase I and II trials identify zalutumumab as a promising drug for the treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer and recent data from a Phase III randomized trial showed encouraging survival results compared with best supportive care. Results from other ongoing Phase III trials will provide clarification on zalutumumab as a treatment option. The clinical development of this compound has been suspended from June 2011 until a development and commercialization partner is found.