Dr. Fuchs on Targeting c-MET to Treat Gastric Cancers

Charles S. Fuchs, MD, MPH, director, Gastrointestinal Cancer Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses the potential of targeting the c-MET receptor to treat gastrointestinal cancers.

Fuchs says c-MET is an important receptor that drives cell proliferation. Results from laboratory tests have shown that certain gastric cancers overexpress c-MET. When c-MET inhibitors are given to patients who have this kind of cancer, cell death occurs.

A randomized phase II of an agent (AMG102) targeting the c-MET ligand hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) showed that patients who received chemotherapy plus the antibody did better than patients who received chemotherapy alone. Fuchs says the benefit was primarily among the individuals who had c-MET-overexpressing gastric cancer. The overexpression provides a practical biomarker.

Fuchs says that about 45% of patients have c-MET-overexpressing gastric cancer.