HER2/neu: A Target for Breast Cancer Therapy

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Zwick, Esther | Wallasch, Christian | Ullrich, Axel^{; *}

Affiliations: Department of Molecular Biology, Max-Planck Institut für Biochemie, Am Klopferspitz 18A, 82152 Martinsried, Germany

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Axel Ullrich, Department of Molecular Biology, Max-Planck Institut für Biochemie, Am Klopferspitz 18A, 82152 Martinsried, Germany, Tel.: +49 89 857 2513; Fax: +49 89 857 7866; E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: The receptor tyrosine kinase HER2 and its rat homologue neu were independently identified as close relatives of erbB, the gene encoding the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Genomic analysis of primary tumors revealed HER2 gene amplification and overexpression in breast and ovarian adenocarcinomas and demonstrated strong correlation with poor prognosis. Since its validation as the first human oncogene, HER2 has been intensively investigated as a target for therapeutic intervention. Nevertheless, it is still poorly understood how HER2 overexpression and enhanced cellular signaling contributes to the development of human cancer. Here we summarize the signaling characteristics of HER2 in regard to its function in tumorigenesis and address recent advances towards the pharmacological intervention in HER2 signaling and anti-cancer therapy

DOI: 10.3233/BD-1999-11102

Journal: Breast Disease, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 7-18, 1999