Presence of HER4 associates with increased sensitivity to Herceptin in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

HER2 overexpression, or rather HER2 gene amplification, is indicative for Herceptin therapy in both metastatic and pre-metastatic breast cancer patients. Patient's individual sensitivity to Herceptin treatment, however, varies enormously and spans from effectual responsiveness over acquired insensitivity to complete resistance from the outset. Thus no predictive information can be deduced from HER2 determination so that molecular biomarkers indicative for Herceptin sensitivity or resistance need to be identified. Both ErbB receptor-dependent signalling molecules as well as HER2-related ErbB receptor tyrosine kinases, known to mutually interact and to cross-regulate each other are prime candidates to be involved in cellular susceptibility to Herceptin.

Methods

Us

SUBMITTER: Sassen A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2750111 | biostudies-literature | 2009

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature