Seminar

Targeting Signaling Pathways in Breast Cancer Metastasis

Nancy E. Hynes, PhD

Breast carcinoma is the most frequent cancer in women, affecting one million yearly. In the past decades there have been great improvements in surgery, screening and therapy, all of which have contributed to a dramatic increase in the current 5-year overall survival rate for breast cancer patients. Considering therapies, endocrine therapies have made a tremendous impact on patient survival. In addition the ErbB2 receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), which is overexpressed in ~20% of breast cancers, has also been a success story. Currently the majority of patients treated for early disease in the adjuvant setting with the recombinant ErbB2-specific antibody trastuzumab, combined with chemotherapy, show prolonged response rates. An important challenge that remains is to uncover new treatments for metastatic disease. Primary breast tumors can be removed by surgery. Unfortunately, however, cancer patients who present with disseminated metastatic disease have few therapeutic options and are treated with chemotherapy. Can we identify specific molecules and pathways contributing to metastatic spread, as well as to tumor cell survival and growth in distant sites? Once identified, can we design appropriate metastatic therapies? My presentation will focus on these challenges.