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Review
. 2011 Oct;121(10):3797-803.
doi: 10.1172/JCI57152. Epub 2011 Oct 3.

_targeted therapies for breast cancer

Michaela J Higgins  1 , José Baselga
Affiliations
Review

_targeted therapies for breast cancer

Michaela J Higgins et al. J Clin Invest. 2011 Oct.

Abstract

In recent years the description of well-defined molecular subtypes of breast cancer, together with the identification of the driving genetic alterations and signaling pathways, has led to the clinical development of a number of successful molecular _targeted agents. This is best exemplified in the subset of HER2-amplified breast cancers, in which an increasing number of active agents are changing the natural history of this aggressive disease. Other _targets are under exploration, and the clinical development of these agents will require a change from the current large, randomized trials in unselected patient populations to smaller trials in groups with a molecularly defined tumor type. In addition, combinatorial approaches that act on the secondary mutations and/or compensatory pathways in resistant tumors may markedly improve on the effects of _targeted agents used alone.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Venn diagram of breast cancer subtypes and their overlapping molecular _targets.
Selected _targeted treatment strategies are also depicted.
Figure 2
Figure 2. The activation of compensatory pathways may contribute to the development of resistance to _targeted therapies in HER2-positive breast cancer.
Inhibition of PI3K results in the release of a negative feedback loop and activation of HER2 and, in turn, activation of ERK, a potentially detrimental effect. Strategies to prevent the compensatory pathway include intervention at different levels, i.e., at the receptor level or by blocking ERK.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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