Table 1.
Different classes of new cancer drugs, frequently used agents, and main toxicities
| Agent | Target | Indications | Toxicities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monoclonal antibodies | |||
| Rituximab Ofatumumab Obinutuzumab |
CD20 | B-cell lymphomas and leukemias | CRS Immunodeficiency |
| Trastuzumab | HER2neu | Breast cancer | Cardiac disease |
| Cetuximab | EGFR | Colorectal cancer | Diarrhea Exanthema |
| Bevacizumab | VEGF | Colorectal cancer Breast cancer Renal cell cancer NSCLC |
Hypertension GI bleeding or perforation Thromboembolism |
| Ramucirumab | VEGFR | Gastric cancer | |
| Tyrosine kinase inhibitors | |||
| Imatinib Dasatinib |
BCR-ABL | CML ALL |
Pleural/pericardial effusions Pulmonary hypertension |
| Ponatinib | Thromboembolism | ||
| Erlotinib | EGFR | NSCLC Pancreatic cancer |
Exanthema, diarrhea GI bleeding or perforation |
| Idelalisib | PI3K | B-cell lymphoma | Pneumonitis Colitis, hepatosis |
| Trametinib | MEK | Melanoma | Diarrhea, edema Decrease of LVEF |
| Aflibercept Axitinib |
VEGF VEGFR |
Colorectal cancer Renal cell cancer |
Hypertension GI bleeding or perforation Thromboembolism PRES |
| Sorafenib Sunitinib Pazopanib |
Multiple kinases | Renal cell cancer GIST Soft tissue sarcoma |
Decrease of LVEF Hypertension |
| Bispecific antibodies (BAB) | |||
| Blinatumomab | CD3/CD19 | ALL B-cell lymphomas |
CRS Neurotoxicity (e.g., convulsions) Liver toxicity (transaminitis) |
| Checkpoint inhibitors | |||
| Ipilimumab | CTLA-4 | Melanoma | IRAEs: Diarrhea, colitis Hypophysitis Immunhepatitis Polyarthritis |
| Nivolumab Pembrolizumab | PD-1 | Melanoma NSCLC RCC Hodgkin’s lymphoma |
|
| Cellular treatments | |||
| CAR T cells | CD19 | ALL B-cell lymphomas |
CRS Neurotoxicity (e.g., convulsions, encephalopathy, or ischemia) |
CRS cytokine-release syndrome, VEGF vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, VEGFR vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, HER human epidermal growth factor receptor, GI gastrointestinal, NSCLC non-small cell lung cancer, RCC renal cell cancer, LVEF left ventricular ejection fraction, CML chronic myeloid leukemia, ALL acute lymphoblastic leukemia, EGFR epidermal growth factor receptor, PI3K phosphoinositol-3 kinase, MEK MAP (mitogen-activated protein) kinase/ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) kinase, PRES posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, GIST gastrointestinal stromal tumors, CTLA-4 cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4, PD-1 programmed death receptor 1, IRAEs immune-related adverse events, CAR chimeric antigen receptor