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Tumor Discovery EpCAM-targeting cancer immunotherapies

Table 2. Selected ongoing and clinically approved anti‑EpCAM ACTs clinical trials (Clinicaltrial.gov)
Trial identifier Phases Year Indications No. of Study
enrolments location
NCT02729493 NA 2019 Hepatocellular carcinoma 25 China
NCT02725125 NA 2015 – 2019 Stomach neoplasms 19 China
NCT02915445 Phase I 2016 – 2023 Malignant neoplasms of nasopharynx, breast, and stomach 30 China
cancer with metastasis
NCT03563326 Phase I 2018 – 2022 Advanced-stage gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis 40 China
NCT03013712 Phase I and II 2017 – 2020 Multiple cancer types 60 China
NCT04151186 NA 2019 – 2021 Advanced solid tumor 72 China
NCT05703815 NA 2023 – ongoing Invasive breast cancer with EpCAM and p53 expressions 40 Egypt
NCT05576519 NA 2017 – 2022 Ovarian carcinoma 50 Egypt
NCT05028933 Phase I 2021 – 2024 Advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as 48 China
colorectal, gastric and pancreatic cancers
Abbreviations: ACT: Adoptive cell therapy; EpCAM: Epithelial cell adhesion molecule.

Figure 2. Timelines for the initial clinical evaluation of selected anti-EpCAM immunotherapies. The schematic is derived from pooled study evidence
pertaining to the initial year in which the clinical studies were conducted (https://clinicaltrials.gov).
Abbreviation: CAR T: Chimeric antigen receptor T-cells.

observational studies. Taken together, it appears that CAR targeted therapies. However, tumor classification based
T therapy targeting EpCAM-overexpressing cancers is on routine diagnostic assays undermines the precision
primarily indicated for advanced-stage solid malignancies. medicine paradigm due to its limitations: (i) variability in
The anti-EpCAM therapy landscape has expanded to therapeutic response and clinical outcomes, even among
cover almost all aspects of cancer immunotherapy. Figure 2 tumors with similar clinicopathological features; and
represents the timelines for the initial clinical evaluation (ii) neglect of the biological significance and molecular
of selected anti-EpCAM immunotherapies (https:// pathways that differentiate tumors into distinct subtypes
clinicaltrials.gov). The estimated year of the evaluation and stages.
was based on the reported year of publication of the first In breast cancer, for example, variability in tumor
clinical study results. responses and drug-induced adverse events is associated
with the transcriptional profiles of CSRs in breast tumors
9. Concluding remarks and perspectives and normal tissues. Clinical trials designed to evaluate
Precision medicine seeks to provide customized the efficacy of CSR-targeting treatments often fail due
solutions for disease management by stratifying to dose-limiting toxicity and other undesirable side
patients into subpopulations based on disease-specific effects. 42,43 The toxicity and side effects of CSR-targeting
profiles, allowing for the identification of patients with drugs are at least partially attributable to the expression
41
the highest probabilities of responding positively to of the targeted CSR in healthy tissues. 44,45 Therefore,

Volume 4 Issue 1 (2025) 8 doi: 10.36922/td.4926