scholarly journals Targeting the Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Family in Breast Cancer beyond HER2

Breast Care ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 579-585
Author(s):  
Kerstin Riecke ◽  
Isabell Witzel
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Epidermal Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor Receptor ◽  
Mechanisms Of Resistance ◽  
Her2 Positive ◽  
Her Family ◽  
Human Epidermal Growth Factor ◽  
Epidermal Growth

Currently, the dichotomous definition of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive versus HER2-negative disease undergoing a change through inclusion of the identification of the “HER2-low” category, for which new therapeutic compounds in the form of potent antibody drug conjugates (ADC) may be effective. In addition, resistance to HER2-directed targets has become a clinical challenge and, therefore, strategies to bypass the HER2 receptor are of high interest. These are new HER2 ADCs and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, such as tucatinib or neratinib. The underlying mechanisms of resistance to anti-HER2 therapies and compensatory pathways are complex and a wide range of mechanisms of resistance may coexist in the same cell. Therefore, the combined treatment with agents that interact with HER2-associated downstream signaling pathways like the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) and the serine/threonine kinases AKT and mTOR might overcome HER2 resistance. In addition, targeting other members of the HER family is a promising approach to improve outcomes in breast cancer patients. This review gives an overview of treatment strategies in targeting HER2 and other members of the HER family, not only in HER2-positive breast cancer, but also in HER2-low expressing tumors, and of approaches to overcome HER2 resistance.

scholarly journals Optimum duration of adjuvant trastuzumab in treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 positive early breast cancer: protocol for a network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. e035802
Author(s):  
Qiancheng Hu ◽  
Xin Wang ◽  
Ye Chen ◽  
Xiaofen Li ◽  
Ting Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Epidermal Growth Factor ◽  
Early Breast Cancer ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Growth Factor Receptor ◽  
Her2 Positive ◽  
Human Epidermal Growth Factor ◽  
Epidermal Growth

IntroductionControversy regarding optimum duration of trastuzumab treatment remains in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) positive early breast cancer. The objective of applying network meta-analysis (NMA) is to integrate existing evidence based on direct and indirect comparisons of efficacy and safety, and then to determine the duration of trastuzumab treatments with the greatest impact on therapeutic outcomes in HER2-positive early breast cancers.Methods and analysisElectronic searching of trastuzumab treatments for early breast cancer by titles and abstracts will be conducted for the period from inception to 16 June 2019 in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase and ClinicalTrils.gov, as well as the annual meetings of San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) online archives. The outcomes of interest are overall survival, disease-free survival, acceptability, cardiotoxicities and grade 3 to 4 non-haematological toxicities. Two independent reviewers will screen and extract eligible data based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and then assess the risk of bias and evidence quality of individual studies using Cochrane Collaboration’s tool and Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). The heterogeneity, transitivity and inconsistency of NMA will be evaluated. In addition, we will perform subgroup and sensitivity analyses to assess the robustness and reliability of findings in our NMA.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval is not required for our NMA. Findings from our NMA will be submitted as peer-reviewed journal manuscripts and international conference reports.Trial registration numberCRD42019139109.

Exploring mechanisms of acquired resistance to HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2)-targeted therapies in breast cancer

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 822-830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Creedon ◽  
Adam Byron ◽  
Joanna Main ◽  
Larry Hayward ◽  
Teresa Klinowska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Epidermal Growth Factor ◽  
Acquired Resistance ◽  
Growth Factor Receptor ◽  
Resistance Mechanisms ◽  
Her2 Positive ◽  
Human Epidermal Growth Factor ◽  
Epidermal Growth

HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2)-targeted therapy in breast cancer is one of the earliest and arguably most successful examples of the modern class of targeted drugs. Initially identified in the 1980s, the observation that HER2 acts as an independent predictor of poor prognosis in the 20% of breast cancer cases carrying a gene amplification or protein overexpression cemented its place at the forefront of research in this field. The outlook for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer has been revolutionized by the introduction of HER2-targeted agents, such as trastuzumab and lapatinib, yet resistance is frequently encountered and multiple different resistance mechanisms have been identified. We have explored resistance to a novel pan-HER inhibitor, AZD8931, and we examine mechanisms of resistance common to trastuzumab, lapatinib and AZD8931, and discuss the current problems associated with translating the wealth of pre-clinical data into clinical benefit.

scholarly journals Trastuzumab Blocks the Receiver Function of HER2 Leading to the Population Shifts of HER2-Containing Homodimers and Heterodimers

Antibodies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Jun Zhao ◽  
Nishant Mohan ◽  
Ruth Nussinov ◽  
Buyong Ma ◽  
Wen Jin Wu
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Epidermal Growth Factor ◽  
Tyrosine Kinase ◽  
Growth Factor Receptor ◽  
Tyrosine Kinase Domain ◽  
Her Family ◽  
Human Epidermal Growth Factor ◽  
Epidermal Growth

HER2, a member of the Erythroblastosis Protein B/Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (ErbB/HER) family of receptor tyrosine kinase, is overexpressed in 20~30% of human breast cancers. Trastuzumab, a HER2-targeted therapeutic monoclonal antibody, was developed to interfere with the homodimerization of HER2 in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells, which attenuates HER2-mediated signaling. Trastuzumab binds to the domain IV of the HER2 extracellular domain and does not directly block the dimerization interface of HER2-HER2 molecules. The three-dimensional structures of the tyrosine kinase domains of ErbB/HER family receptors show asymmetrical packing of the two monomers with distinct conformations. One monomer functions as an activator, whereas the other acts as a receiver. Once activated, the receiver monomer phosphorylates the activator or other proteins. Interestingly, in our previous work, we found that the binding of trastuzumab induced phosphorylation of HER2 with the phosphorylation pattern of HER2 that is different from that mediated by epidermal growth factor (EGF) in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer. Binding of trastuzumab to HER2 promoted an allosteric effect of HER2, in both tyrosine kinase domain and ectodomain of HER2 although details of allosteric regulation were missing. In this study, we utilized molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to model the allosteric consequences of trastuzumab binding to HER2 homodimers and heterodimers, along with the apo forms as controls. We focused on the conformational changes of HER2 in its monomeric and dimeric forms. The data indicated the apparent dual role of trastuzumab as an antagonist and an agonist. The molecular details of the simulation provide an atomic level description and molecular insight into the action of HER2-targeted antibody therapeutics.

Randomized Trial of Lapatinib Versus Placebo Added to Paclitaxel in the Treatment of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2–Overexpressing Metastatic Breast Cancer

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (16) ◽  
pp. 1947-1953 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongzhen Guan ◽  
Binghe Xu ◽  
Michelle L. DeSilvio ◽  
Zhenzhou Shen ◽  
Wichit Arpornwirat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor ◽  
Metastatic Breast Cancer ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Epidermal Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor Receptor ◽  
Metastatic Breast ◽  
Her2 Positive ◽  
Human Epidermal Growth Factor ◽  
Epidermal Growth

Purpose Lapatinib is an oral small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor of both epidermal growth factor receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). This study is designed to test whether the addition of lapatinib to paclitaxel improves overall survival (OS) compared with placebo plus paclitaxel in patients with HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Patients and Methods This phase III, randomized, double-blind study assessed the efficacy and safety of lapatinib plus paclitaxel compared with placebo plus paclitaxel in patients with newly diagnosed HER2-positive MBC. The primary end point was OS. Secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate (ORR), clinical benefit rate, and safety. Results The addition of lapatinib to paclitaxel significantly improved OS versus paclitaxel (treatment hazard ratio [HR], 0.74; 95% CI, 0.58 to 0.94; P = .0124); median OS was 27.8 versus 20.5 months, respectively. Median PFS was prolonged by 3.2 months, from 6.5 months with placebo plus paclitaxel to 9.7 months with lapatinib plus paclitaxel (HR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.42 to 0.64; stratified log-rank P < .001). ORR was significantly higher with lapatinib plus paclitaxel compared with placebo plus paclitaxel (69% v 50%, respectively; P < .001). The incidence of grades 3 and 4 diarrhea and neutropenia was higher in the lapatinib plus paclitaxel arm. Only 4% of patients in this group reported febrile neutropenia. Cardiac events were low grade, asymptomatic, and mostly reversible. The incidence of hepatic events was similar in both arms. There were no fatal adverse events in the lapatinib plus paclitaxel arm. Conclusion This trial demonstrated that lapatinib combined with paclitaxel offers a significant and clinically meaningful survival advantage over paclitaxel alone in patients with HER2-positive MBC.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document