Abstract
Central nervous system (CNS) metastases from breast cancer (BC) represent an important cause of diseaserelated morbidity and mortality. For BC patients who develop CNS metastases, local control measures (both surgery and radiation) are essentially palliative and usually poorly effective, with systemic therapies often failing to achieve optimal control mainly due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier which hampers adequate penetration of therapeutic agents into the brain. However, recent evidence suggests that the status of the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) strongly influences the incidence of CNS metastases and the survival of BC patients from the time of development of CNS metastases, with HER2-positive (HER2+) patients generally experiencing higher rates of CNS metastases and prolonged overall survival compared to patients with HER2-negative disease. This phenomenon likely reflects the difficult CNS drug-penetration and improved control of extra-CNS disease following the clinical use of the anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody trastuzumab. Importantly, this HER2-based survival difference has important implications when planning the optimal treatment of BC patients with CNS metastases. To date, although no systemic therapy has been specifically approved for the treatment of CNS metastases from BC, several targeted agents are being clinically developed for this purpose. In the present review we will discuss the targeted therapies that are under investigation for the treatment of CNS metastases from BC, highlighting the different implications based on whether a given agent is being developed to target CNS metastases from HER2+ or HER2-negative breast cancer.
Keywords: Blood-brain barrier, Brain metastases, Breast Cancer, Central nervous system, HER2, Lapatinib, Trastuzumab, Triple negative, human epidermal receptor 2, whole brain radiotherapy, tyrosine kinase inhibitor
Current Cancer Drug Targets
Title: New Target Therapies for Brain Metastases from Breast Cancer
Volume: 12 Issue: 3
Author(s): G. Metro and A. Fabi
Affiliation:
Keywords: Blood-brain barrier, Brain metastases, Breast Cancer, Central nervous system, HER2, Lapatinib, Trastuzumab, Triple negative, human epidermal receptor 2, whole brain radiotherapy, tyrosine kinase inhibitor
Abstract: Central nervous system (CNS) metastases from breast cancer (BC) represent an important cause of diseaserelated morbidity and mortality. For BC patients who develop CNS metastases, local control measures (both surgery and radiation) are essentially palliative and usually poorly effective, with systemic therapies often failing to achieve optimal control mainly due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier which hampers adequate penetration of therapeutic agents into the brain. However, recent evidence suggests that the status of the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) strongly influences the incidence of CNS metastases and the survival of BC patients from the time of development of CNS metastases, with HER2-positive (HER2+) patients generally experiencing higher rates of CNS metastases and prolonged overall survival compared to patients with HER2-negative disease. This phenomenon likely reflects the difficult CNS drug-penetration and improved control of extra-CNS disease following the clinical use of the anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody trastuzumab. Importantly, this HER2-based survival difference has important implications when planning the optimal treatment of BC patients with CNS metastases. To date, although no systemic therapy has been specifically approved for the treatment of CNS metastases from BC, several targeted agents are being clinically developed for this purpose. In the present review we will discuss the targeted therapies that are under investigation for the treatment of CNS metastases from BC, highlighting the different implications based on whether a given agent is being developed to target CNS metastases from HER2+ or HER2-negative breast cancer.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Metro G. and Fabi A., New Target Therapies for Brain Metastases from Breast Cancer, Current Cancer Drug Targets 2012; 12 (3) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156800912799277548
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156800912799277548 |
Print ISSN 1568-0096 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-5576 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Advances in Cancer Biomarkers and Potential Drug Targets: From Diagnosis to Therapy
Cancer biomarkers play a crucial role in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancer. They provide valuable information for cancer detection, risk assessment, treatment selection, and monitoring response to therapy. With advancements in molecular biology and high-throughput technologies, there has been an increasing interest in identifying and characterizing cancer biomarkers ...read more
Novel Therapeutic Approaches to Target Drug Resistant Tumors
With the development of disciplines such as chemical biology and molecular biology, the genes or proteins closely related to tumor occurrence and development have gradually become clear. Targeted therapies targeting these genes or proteins provide more effective methods for tumor treatment. Tumor targeted drugs generally only act on specific targets ...read more
ROLE OF IMMUNE AND GENOTOXIC RESPONSE BIOMARKERS IN TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT IN CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Biological biomarkers have been used in medical research as an indicator of a normal or abnormal process inside the body, or of a disease. Nowadays, various researchers are in process to explore and investigate the biological markers for the early assessment of cancer. DNA Damage response (DDR) pathways and immune ...read more
Targeting the battlefield between host and tumor: basic research and clinical practice on reshaping tumor immune microenvironment
Immune system protects host against malignant tumors through effector cells and molecules. Cancer development and its response to therapy are regulated by inflammation, which either promotes or suppresses cancer progression. Chronic inflammation facilitates cancer progression and treatment resistance, whereas induction of acute inflammatory reactions often lead to anti-cancer immune responses. ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
Natural Antioxidants: Therapeutic Prospects for Cancer and Neurological Diseases
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry High-level Soluble Expression, Purification, and Functional Characterization of the Recombinant Human Leukemia Inhibitory Factor: A Potential General Strategy for the Recombinant Expression of Cytokines Consisting of Four α-Helices in a Bundle
Protein & Peptide Letters Performance Identification Using Morphological Approach on Digital Mammographic Images
Current Signal Transduction Therapy Protein Interaction Networks in Metallo Proteins and Docking Approaches of Metallic Compounds with TIMP and MMP in Control of MAPK Pathway
Letters in Drug Design & Discovery Editorial (Thematic Issue: Applications of Peptides in Nanotechnology)
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Selective Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors and Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
Current Medicinal Chemistry Therapeutic Potential of Small Activating RNAs (saRNAs) in Human Cancers
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Src Family Kinases as Potential Therapeutic Targets for Malignancies and Immunological Disorders
Current Medicinal Chemistry Imaging Drug Resistance with Radiolabeled Molecules
Current Pharmaceutical Design Statin-Induced Myotoxicity: Pharmacokinetic Differences among Statins and the Risk of Rhabdomyolysis, with Particular Reference to Pitavastatin
Current Vascular Pharmacology Gemcitabine Interacts with Carbonate Apatite with Concomitant Reduction in Particle Diameter and Enhancement of Cytotoxicity in Breast Cancer Cells
Current Drug Delivery Anthracycline Cardiotoxicity: Prevalence, Pathogenesis and Treatment
Current Cardiology Reviews An Overview of Natural Plant Products in the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Chemical and Medicinal Versatility of Dithiocarbamates: An Overview
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry A Study on the Composition and Antioxidant Properties of Avicennia marina Leaf Extract
Current Nutrition & Food Science Update on Cancer Related Issues of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapies
Current Stem Cell Research & Therapy Natural Killer Cells Preferentially Target Cancer Stem Cells; Role of Monocytes in Protection Against NK Cell Mediated Lysis of Cancer Stem Cells
Current Drug Delivery Chemotherapy with si-RNA and Anti-Cancer Drugs
Current Drug Delivery Patents and the Development on Polymer based Nanomaterial (PAMAM Dendrimer) for Biomedical Applications
Recent Patents on Biomedical Engineering (Discontinued) Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors & CNS Disorders
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets