Targeting Signal Transduction Pathways in Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

This review summarizes some of the key signaling pathways involved in tumor progression and some of the novel therapies that are in development for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer patients.

Beta-Blocker Drug Therapy Reduces Secondary Cancer Formation in Breast Cancer and Improves Cancer Specific Survival

“…Although an estimated 38,000 [1] patients are diagnosed with breast cancer in the US each year death rates are declining in part due to adjuvant therapies including the use of ER-antagonists and anti-HER2 (trastuzumab) therapy [2][3][4]. Nonetheless, approximately 30% of treated BC patients develop distant metastases [5] and these significantly account for 90% of breast cancer deaths [6].…”

Signal Transduction Pathways in Breast Cancer – Drug Targets and Challenges

“…Combining these two agents facilitates anti-HER-2 activity as well as targeted intracellular delivery of a potent cytotoxic agent. Single-agent TDM1 as well tolerated, active and no dose-limiting cardiotoxicity was observed in a phase II study of 112 patients with pretreated MBC [7].…”

“…Trastuzumab, administered as an i.v. infusion, is approved in the U.S. and Europe for the treatment of HER-2-over-expressing metastatic breast cancer (MBC) [7]. It is standard-of-care treatment for MBC patients with HER-2-over-expressing tumors, both as first-line treatment in combination with chemotherapy and as a single agent in women who have HER-2-over-expressing breast cancer that has progressed after chemotherapy for metastatic disease [44,49].…”

“…On the other hand, these aberrant processes have also provided many therapeutic points for intervention, which is the major topic of this chapter. Following the successful introduction of trastuzumab, the first human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) targeted therapy to become widely used in breast cancer patients, other agents have been developed [7]. Other potential hallmarks of malignancy that represent a new opportunity for therapeutic targeting include abrogation of apoptosis, lack of senescence, angiogenesis, tumor invasion and metastasis [8].…”

The Effect of Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells on a Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Line

“…Researchers have developed new targeted therapies against cancer by understanding the molecular mechanisms and by identifying signaling pathways that drive oncogenesis [6,7]. Some of these anti-cancer therapies inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors as well as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), whereas others promote cell death [8].…”