The FGF/FGFR axis as a therapeutic target in breast cancer.
Fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) signaling is a vital component of both embryonic and postnatal mammary gland development, which has prompted researchers to investigate both its relevance to breast cancer and its potential as a therapeutic target. Deregulated FGFR signaling during breast cancer occurs through various mechanisms, including amplification of the receptor genes, aberrant ligand expression, receptor mutations and translocations. Recent experimental outcomes involving both animal models and human breast cancer cell lines have led to the initiation of multiple early clinical trials investigating the safety and efficacy of small molecule FGFR inhibitors. In this article we review both the most recent discoveries and the need for further investigation of the mechanisms through which FGF/FGFR signaling has emerged as an oncogenic driver.
Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware St. SE, MMC 609, Minneapolis, MN 55455.
Nicholas
N
Brady
Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware St. SE, MMC 609, Minneapolis, MN 55455.
Polly
P
Chuntova
Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware St. SE, MMC 609, Minneapolis, MN 55455.
Lindsey K
LK
Bade
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware St. SE, MMC 609, Minneapolis, MN 55455.|Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware St. SE, MMC 609, Minneapolis, MN 55455.
Kathryn L
KL
Schwertfeger
Breast cancer; fibroblast growth factor; fibroblast growth factor receptor; mammary gland; receptor tyrosine kinase; targeted therapies