Expanding Options for the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer
Summaries of Selected Lectures From the Seventh International Congress on the Future of Breast Cancer
Koloa, HI
July 23-26, 2008
Release Date: October 29, 2008
Expiration Date: October 29, 2009
PER Editorial Staff
Breast cancer therapies have rapidly evolved over the past decade, and many new strategies involving both novel targeted agents and innovative combinations of cytotoxic drugs continue to be evaluated. Angiogenesis inhibitors and novel agents designed to attenuate pathologic HER2 signaling have shown promise, and combinations of these agents with existing chemotherapy have been approved for use in advanced and metastatic breast cancer. The question remains whether polychemotherapy using cytotoxic drugs or cytotoxic/biologic combinations result in better clinical outcomes than single-agent sequential approaches. These options need to be carefully balanced against quality-of-life issues in clinical scenarios in which palliation of symptoms is a primary goal. Breast cancer is a complex neoplasia with many variations that can inluence the efectiveness of particular treatments. Optimization of therapy therefore requires attention to many possible clinical and pathologic variables, and careful analysis of existing clinical trial data is needed to provide the best possible patient care using the rapidly growing armamentarium of available treatment options.
The purpose of this activity is to apprise physicians of current data on the use of targeted therapies and cytotoxic combinations for advanced and metastatic breast cancer and to highlight key issues involved in selecting treatment plans based on particular clinical and pathologic variables.
This activity is intended for oncologists involved in the care of patients with breast cancer. No specific skills or knowledge other than a basic training in oncology is required for successful participation in this activity.
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Satellite Faculty
Joyce O’Shaughnessy, MD
Paid Consultant – Abraxis Oncology; AstraZeneca; Eisai Inc.; Eli Lilly and Company; Genentech, Inc.; Molecular Profiling Institute; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Pfizer Inc.; and sanofi-aventis U.S.
Speaker’s Bureau – Abraxis Oncology; AstraZeneca; Eisai Inc.; Eli Lilly and Company; Genentech, Inc.; Molecular Profiling Institute; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Pfizer Inc.; sanofi-aventis U.S.
Beth Overmoyer, MD, FACP
Paid Consultant – sanofi-aventis U.S.
Hope S. Rugo, MD
Research Funding – Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; Genentech, Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Pfizer Inc.
Speaker’s Bureau – AstraZeneca; Genomic Health, Inc.
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Illustration
The HER2 receptor tyrosine kinase is important for the development and maintenance of epithelial tissues, and overexpression of this receptor occurs in approximately 20%-25% of breast cancers and is associated with tumor growth, progression, and reduced survival. Following the translation of HER2 mRNA into nascent polypeptide in the endoplasmic reticulum and processing in the Golgi apparatus, the HER2 protein associates with heat shock protein (HSP)90 via a HSP90 recognition motif located within the HER2 kinase domain. This interaction is required for the function of HER2 and stabilizes the receptor prior to insertion into the cell membrane. HER2 has been implicated as one of the most important clients of HSP90, and inhibitors of this chaperone cause the degradation of HER2 and other client proteins involved in tumor-associated signal transduction. Substantial progress has been made over the last decade to inhibit tumor growth using small-molecule– and antibody-based therapies targeting HER2-mediated signaling, and additional efforts are under way to develop therapies targeting related interacting pathways and molecules, such as HSP90, which might further augment the efficacy of current HER2-directed agents.
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