Molecular targets as therapeutic strategies in the management of breast cancer.
Therapy directed against specific biologic targets has long been used in the treatment of breast cancer; the estrogen receptor is a validated prognostic and therapeutic target, and antiestrogen therapy has been used effectively for decades. Recently, scientific progress and increased comprehension of mechanisms of breast cancer pathogenesis have led to the proliferation of both potential molecular targets and new therapeutic agents. The success of traztuzumab (Herceptin, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA), an anti-HER2 antibody, has spurred the development of other biologically directed therapeutics. In this overview, I discuss three targets relevant to breast cancer (the epidermal growth factor receptor family, angiogenesis, and NF-kappa B), and therapeutic approaches directed against these targets are discussed.
Sartor
Carolyn I
CI
Department of Radiation Oncology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA. sartor@radonc.unc.edu
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000517:prevention & control
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D016328:NF-kappa B; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor