Bevacizumab and cetuximab with conventional chemotherapy reduced pancreatic tumor weight in mouse pancreatic cancer xenografts

Pancreatic cancer remains the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the USA with a 5-year survival rate of 5 %. The effects of epidermal growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor A blockade with chemotherapy on pancreatic tumor growth were examined. Mice bearing human PANC-1 cell xenografts were divided into three groups: T-CR (gemcitabine, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil), T-TR (cetuximab, bevacizumab, gemcitabine, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil), and vehicle control (T). The therapies were administered via intraperitoneal injections every 4 days for seven cycles from 7 weeks after cancer cell implantation. Mice treated with T-TR had significant reductions in tumor weight as compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Although mice in the T-CR group experienced a significant reduction in body weight gain, serum albumin, and gastrocnemius muscle mass (p < 0.05), no such reductions were observed in the T-TR group. Mice treated with T-TR had slightly increased CD11c⁺ DC and CD49b⁺ NK cell levels in the spleen (p < 0.05) and significantly lower tumor VEGF expression (p < 0.05). Tumor carcinoembryonic antigen expression was significantly reduced in both treatment groups (p < 0.05). Thus, addition of bevacizumab and cetuximab to gemcitabine, cisplatin, and fluorouracil may represent an effective treatment option for pancreatic cancer that warrants further study.