Eribulin mesylate in the management of metastatic breast cancer and other solid cancers: a drug review

Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2014 Jun;14(6):649-65. doi: 10.1586/14737140.2014.920693.

Abstract

In the new era of 'precision' cancer medicine, new drug development has shifted from cytotoxic chemotherapy to molecularly targeted agents. Eribulin mesylate, a microtubule-destabilizing agent, is the only 'classical' cytotoxic agent approved for the treatment of breast cancer in the last 7 years. This synthetic analogue of halichondrin B, isolated from the marine sponge 'Halicondria Okaida', was responsible for prolonging overall survival of heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer patients in a large Phase III trial. Eribulin is now under clinical development in earlier settings such as the neo-adjuvant and adjuvant settings. Furthermore, its unique mechanism of action and the absence of cross-resistance with taxanes have led to the design of clinical trials in multiple indications: bladder cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer… The main adverse events are neutropenia, fatigue and peripheral neuropathy.

Keywords: breast cancer; chemotherapy; eribulin; review; solid tumor.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Alopecia / chemically induced
  • Antineoplastic Agents / adverse effects
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Carcinoma / drug therapy
  • Carcinoma / secondary*
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Drug Approval
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
  • Drugs, Investigational
  • Ethers, Cyclic / pharmacology
  • Fatigue / chemically induced
  • Female
  • Furans / adverse effects
  • Furans / chemistry
  • Furans / pharmacology
  • Furans / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Ketones / adverse effects
  • Ketones / chemistry
  • Ketones / pharmacology
  • Ketones / therapeutic use*
  • Macrolides / pharmacology
  • Molecular Targeted Therapy
  • Multicenter Studies as Topic
  • Neoadjuvant Therapy
  • Neutropenia / chemically induced
  • Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / chemically induced
  • Tubulin Modulators / adverse effects
  • Tubulin Modulators / chemistry
  • Tubulin Modulators / pharmacology
  • Tubulin Modulators / therapeutic use*
  • United States
  • United States Food and Drug Administration

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Drugs, Investigational
  • Ethers, Cyclic
  • Furans
  • Ketones
  • Macrolides
  • Tubulin Modulators
  • halichondrin B
  • eribulin