title: cMET in triple-negative breast cancer: is it a therapeutic target for this subset of breast cancer patients?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The identification and validation of a targeted therapy for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is currently one of the most urgent needs in breast cancer therapeutics. The cMET oncogene encodes a membrane-bound tyrosine kinase implicated in the formation and/or progression of several cancer types, including TNBC. Currently, inhibitors targeting cMET are undergoing clinical trials for a variety of cancers, including TNBC. These include anti-cMET and anti-hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article reviews the structure and mode of action of cMET, the role of cMET in cancer formation/development, with particular emphasis on its role in basal/TNBC and its potential as a therapeutic target for this subtype of breast cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Due to cancer heterogeneity, it is unlikely that all TNBC patients will be responsive to anti-cMET drugs. Therefore, if cMET is to be used as a target for treatment, it will be important to identify predictive biomarkers to select, upfront, those patients likely to benefit. Potential predictive biomarkers for anti-cMET treatments in basal/TNBC include cMET, phospho-cMET, downstream signaling proteins or HGF. These putative predictive biomarkers should be evaluated in a large panel of basal/TNBC cell lines before incorporation into clinical trials involving anti-cMET drugs.
authors.affiliation: Dublin City University, National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology , Dublin 9 , Ireland +00353 1 7007497 ; +00353 1 7005484 ; Norma.ODonovan@dcu.ie.
authors.forename: Patricia B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Gaule
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Crown
authors.forename: Norma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: O'Donovan
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Duffy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D064726:Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met
keywords: basal; breast cancer; cMET; targeted therapy; triple-negative