Targeted Therapies in Cancer - Fourth International Congress. Epidermal growth factor receptor blockade and immune modulation. 26-28 August 2005, Washington, DC, USA

This congress was an exceptional forum where many exciting developments were reported, upcoming agents were introduced, and proposals for shifting paradigms were entertained. The explosion of new agents that are being transferred from the bench to the bedside provides an entertaining and exciting glimpse of what lies ahead in the field of targeted cancer therapies. The scientific value of the meeting was accentuated when new paradigms were introduced, such as in the assessment of drug response (eg, SD as a valid endpoint instead of PR) and the use of new biomarkers (eg, downstream phosphorylated products) or even side effects (eg, development of rash) as predictors/markers of response. After an initial slow start, anti-angiogenic therapeutics appear to be particularly promising, with newer oral agents with improved tolerability and novel, less immunogenic antibodies being presented. The increased clinical experience with EGFR antibodies and TKIs was evident, and immune modulators proved to be promising additions to the anticancer armamentarium.