Title:The Real Impact of Target Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients: Between Hope and Reality
Volume: 18
Issue: 5
Author(s): Sebastiano Bordonaro, Massimiliano Berretta, Antonino Carmelo Tralongo, Silvia Clementi, Brigida Stanzione and Paolo Tralongo*
Affiliation:
- Division of Medical Oncology, ,Italy
Keywords:
Breast, cancer, target, biomolecular, receptors, treatment, metastases.
Abstract: Over the last 15 years, we have seen a huge expansion of the development of drugs directed
against biomolecular targets within breast cancer cells. The over-expression of certain receptors
(ER, PgR, HER-2, VEGF-R), as well as alteration of several intracellular signal transduction
pathways (the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway, MEK-MAPK pathway, loss of PTEN, etc ...) has a great
impact on the likelihood of recurrence and progression of the disease, influencing the natural history
of breast cancer. The recent biomolecular classification of breast cancer (Luminal A / B, HER2-
driven, Basal Like) allowed finally to identify specific treatments against molecular target to associate
or not to traditional chemotherapy, and to use in relation to the prognosis of the disease. In the
following paragraphs, we will set out the major targeted drug that have received indications in breast
cancer, both in the localized and in advanced disease, referring to the specific target (hormonal receptors,
HER2, VEGF, m-TOR, PARP etc ...).
