A Phase I Study Of The Bcr-Abl Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Nilotinib And Cetuximab In Patients With Solid Tumors That Can Be Treated With Cetuximab.

TPS2624 Background: Therapeutic blockade of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) signaling with the monoclonal antibody cetuximab is clinically effective in the treatment of patients with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck or KRAS wildtype colorectal cancer. However, these patients eventually become resistant to this therapy. An exploration of the EGFR signaling network using an EGFR network-focused small interfering RNA library identified potential regulators of resistance to EGFR-targeted therapies. The ABL1 gene was identified as a central node to target in this complex genomic pathway. In a preclinical EGFR-expressing cancer cell line model, targeting c-abl, the gene product of ABL1, using nilotinib was found to be highly synergistic in decreasing cell survival when combined with anti-EGFR targeted therapy. Methods: We have initiated an open-label Phase I study for patients who progressed after standard therapies for metastatic KRAS wildtype colorectal cancer or metastatic head...